Top Class Actions’s website and social media posts use affiliate links. If you make a purchase using such links, we may receive a commission, but it will not result in any additional charges to you. Please review our Affiliate Link Disclosure for more information.

Google, botnet, hackers
(Photo Credit: HB Photo/Shutterstock)

Update: 

  • Google won its lawsuit against two Russian nationals whom it says created a botnet that infected about 1 million Windows computers worldwide and has the ability to infect thousands of new computers each day.
  • On Nov. 15, U.S. District Judge Denise L. Cote entered a default judgment for Google in its case against Dmitry Starovikov and Alexander Filippov, the alleged botnet operators. 
  • In her filing, Judge Cote says the defendants and their attorney tried to mislead the court and resist discovery of information pertinent to the case.
  • “The court finds that the defendants have intentionally withheld information and misrepresented their willingness and ability to engage in discovery in order to disadvantage Google in this litigation, avoid liability and further profit off of the criminal scheme described in the complaint,” Judge Cote wrote as she ruled in Google’s favor.
  • The complaint alleged computer fraud and abuse, trademark infringement and more.

Google Glupteba botnet lawsuit overview:

  • Who: Google is suing two Russian nationals whom it says are behind a botnet.
  • Why: Google says the botnet has been used to infiltrate more than 1 million computers by using Windows to steal information or commit fraud.
  • Where: The lawsuit was filed in a New York federal court.

(Dec. 09, 2021)

Google is going after two Russian nationals whom it says have created a botnet that has infected about 1 million computers with Windows worldwide. The botnet can infect thousands of new computers each day.

Google’s Security Vice President Royal Hansen and its general counsel, Halimah DeLaine Prado, announced Dec. 7 that the technology giant had filed a lawsuit against Dmitry Starovikov and Alexander Filippov, the alleged botnet operators, whom it believes are based in Russia. The complaint was filed in a New York federal court. 

The complaint alleges computer fraud and abuse, trademark infringement and more and also seeks an injunction.

Defendants allegedly created ‘sophisticated botnet’ to infect devices for malicious purposes

According to Google, the two defendants created Glupteba, a “sophisticated botnet” that targets Windows machines and protects itself using blockchain technology. 

A botnet is a network of devices connected to the internet that have been infected with a type of malware that places them under the control of bad actors. 

They can then use the infected devices for malicious purposes, such as to steal sensitive information or commit fraud, Google says in the complaint.

“After a thorough investigation, we determined that the Glupteba botnet currently involves approximately one million compromised Windows devices worldwide, and at times, grows at a rate of thousands of new devices per day,” the complaint states.

Glupteba is notorious for stealing users’ credentials and data, mining cryptocurrencies on infected hosts and setting up proxies to funnel other people’s internet traffic through infected machines and routers, Google says. 

Glupteba also sells access to victims’ infected devices to allow cybercriminals to conceal their location and hijacks devices to generate cryptocurrency for the enterprise’s financial gain, the lawsuit states.

Google itself is being sued in a class action lawsuit alleging it engages in illegal, omnipresent surveillance of people’s lives in a way much worse than George Orwell imagined in his classic science fiction book 1984.

What do you think about Google’s move to crack down on this botnet? Let us know in the comments.

Google is represented by Laura Harris, Andrew Michaelson, Kathleen E. McCarthy, Matthew Bush, Sumon Dantiki, David P. Mattern and Bethany L. Rupert of King & Spalding LLP.

The Glupteba Botnet Lawsuit is Google LLC v. Dmitry Starovikov, et al., case number unavailable, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. 


Don’t Miss Out!

Check out our list of Class Action Lawsuits and Class Action Settlements you may qualify to join!


Read About More Class Action Lawsuits & Class Action Settlements:

We tell you about cash you can claim EVERY WEEK! Sign up for our free newsletter.

28 thoughts onGoogle wins lawsuit against Russians who created botnet to hack 1 million computers

  1. Vanessa Gill says:

    Add me please I’ve had my Microsoft hacked a few times

  2. Krystal Chestnut says:

    Add me

  3. Georgia says:

    Add me

  4. toni mcbride says:

    Add me please.

  5. Linda Felton says:

    Add me

  6. John Haller says:

    Add me

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. By submitting your comment and contact information, you agree to receive marketing emails from Top Class Actions regarding this and/or similar lawsuits or settlements, and/or to be contacted by an attorney or law firm to discuss the details of your potential case at no charge to you if you qualify. Required fields are marked *

Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.