The US FBI repelled Russian hackers’ attacks on thousands of routers and firewalls that were planned to be combined into a botnet to load third-party servers with fake traffic. It is reported by Reuters.

The targeted botnet was controlled using the Cyclops Blink malware. In late February, US and UK cyber defense agencies assigned it to the Sandworm hacker group, allegedly linked to Russian military intelligence.

Cyclops Blink is designed to capture devices manufactured by WatchGuard Technologies Inc and ASUSTeK Computer Inc. It provides access to compromised systems, allowing you to remotely upload or delete data, as well as configure devices against third parties.

WatchGuard confirmed its cooperation with the US Department of Justice in removing the botnet, but did not disclose the amount of hardware affected, saying it only represents “less than 1% of WatchGuard devices”.

According to the FBI, thousands of businesses worldwide have been affected by the hacker attacks.

U.S. authorities have recommended that WatchGuard device owners take steps “to address viruses and vulnerabilities,” but less than half of them have been patched.

At the same time, Microsoft blocked attempts by hackers associated with the Russian GRU to hack servers in Ukraine.

The cyberattack was aimed at “Ukrainian organisations, including the media”. The company believes hackers are trying to gain long-term access to systems, provide tactical support to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and seize classified information.

Recall that at the end of March, the media reported that hackers obtained data from Apple and Meta users.