BADBOX

Google, working with security researchers and law enforcement partners, has taken down a large-scale botnet known as BadBox. Around 1.3 million Android TV boxes and other devices had been compromised with malware before leaving the factory, turning them into tools for fraud, ad abuse and other criminal activity. The operation highlights growing concerns over insecure low-cost smart devices shipped with backdoors already installed.

Google says it has disrupted an Android malware botnet known as BADBOX 2.0 that infected over a million devices, many of them cheap TV boxes and streaming sticks running pirated or uncertified Android firmware. The company has banned the manufacturer of the affected TV boxes from its ecosystem and warns users to avoid uncertified Android devices.