The US government has provided a link to let people check if their computer programs have been hacked. The move has come following the shutdown of the cybercrime network, Avalanche.
It has been four years since the German police have been investigating the cybercrime issues involving the Avalanche network. The department has been coordinated and assisted at every step by Europol, the FBI and other legal agencies across the world.
What is Avalanche & How Did It Operate?
Avalanche operated as a cloud-based network which the cybercriminals take on lease for hacking. With the link, the public can now check for free if their systems have been hacked. The cybercrime network was used to transfer malware, introduce phishing campaigns, transport ransonware and launder stolen money.
With the closure of the network, the threat to computer hacking has been reduced. The shutdown operation was conducted December 1. Catalin Cosoi, the chief security strategist of law enforcement company BitDefender, which also took part in attacking the criminal group, said that the operation was their biggest cyber crime case to date.
Avalanche was known for the anonymity maintained while breaching the data as it used a double fast flux technique. It allowed the cybercrime group to generate new domain name every day with each having a different IP address, as well as DNS server every five minutes. According to USA Today, the Department of Homeland Security's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center will release the list of victims to stakeholders.
Besides the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team posting the links to check the hack, Europol has also listed some sites that might have infected users. Engadget reminds readers that Avalanche has been in operation since 2009 or maybe even prior to that.
