Japan's National Police Agency
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Google shuts down XCPE botnet built into certified Android devices
Google, with several partners, dismantled the XCPE botnet, which Videostrong Technology Co. had pre-installed on more than 1.3 million Android devices, mainly TV set-top boxes. The backdoor loaded malicious code after first boot, evading Google's testing, and was used for ad fraud, data exfiltration and residential proxy traffic. Google has banned Videostrong and any future subsidiaries from building or selling certified Android devices.
Police and security firms disrupt XCPE backdoor behind botnet of 1.3 million Android TV boxes
A coalition of security firms working with Japan's National Police Agency has disrupted XCPE, a backdoor pre-installed in firmware by Shenzhen hardware maker Videostrong Technology. It formed a botnet of over 1.3 million Android devices that operators used as proxies, and the coalition has also taken down command-and-control domains used by affiliate modules, which Google estimates could sever access to at least 10 million more compromised devices. Google has cut ties with Videostrong and banned it from shipping devices with preloaded Google apps.