Nearly 9,000 servers infected with malware across Asean

 

In an operation targeting cybercrime across Asean, the Interpol says it has identified thousands of compromised systems that included command-and-control (C2) servers infected with malware and websites run by governments.

Some 8,800 of the servers across eight countries were found to be infected with various malware codes including those targeting financial institutions and used to launch DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks. Investigations involving these systems were still ongoing, according to a statement released by Interpol, which ran the Asean operation out of its Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore.

It added that some 270 websites were found to have been infected with a malware code that exploited a vulnerability in the website design software. These compromised sites included those run by governments, which might contain personal data of their citizens, it said.

“A number of phishing website operators were also identified, including one with links to Nigeria, with further investigations into other suspects still ongoing,” Interpol said. “One criminal based in Indonesia selling phishing kits via the Darknet had posted YouTube videos showing customers how to use the illicit software.”

Investigators from Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines were involved in the initiative and exchanged information on “specific cyber crime situations” in their respective country. China also provided cyber intelligence for the operation, the Interpol said.

It added that seven companies from the private sector, including Trend Micro, Cyber Defense Institute, British Telecom, and Fortinet, were brought in during pre-operational meetings to develop information packages. Based on this information and those provided by the Asean countries, Interpol then produced 23 reports highlighting threats and cyber criminal activities as well as recommended actions for local authorities.

Stressing the need for collaboration between the public and private sectors in fighting cybercrime, Noboru Nakatani, executive director for the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation, said: “With direct access to the information, expertise, and capabilities of the private sector and specialists from the Cyber Fusion Centre, participants were able to fully appreciate the scale and scope of cybercrime actors across the region and in their countries.”