ESET Plays Key Role in a Major International Operation to Disrupt Danabot
ESET joined the effort alongside technology giants including Amazon, Google, CrowdStrike, Flashpoint, Intel471, PayPal, Proofpoint, Team Cymru, and Zscaler. ESET Research, which has tracked Danabot since 2018, provided in-depth technical analysis and helped identify the malware's command-and-control (C&C) servers and backend infrastructure.
Danabot, historically active in countries such as Poland, Italy, Spain, and Turkey, operates as a single developer group offering its toolkit to affiliates. These affiliates deploy their own botnets to exfiltrate data, deliver further malware, and even launch DDoS attacks. ESET's Tomáš Procházka noted the malware's extensive features, including keylogging, browser and software credential theft, screen recording, remote system control, and payload delivery—often ransomware.
The takedown is part of Operation Endgame, an ongoing initiative to dismantle cybercriminal infrastructure. Authorities also identified individuals involved in Danabot's development, sales, and operation, dealing a significant blow to its network.
ESET reports that Danabot's authors had commercialized their toolkit by bundling it with malware loaders and cryptors, offering discounted distribution packages. One of the malware's most prominent infection tactics was the abuse of Google Ads to promote fake software sites, luring victims into downloading malware disguised as legitimate software.
'The scale of disruption to Danabot remains to be seen, but unmasking those behind it is a substantial victory for the cybersecurity community,' said Procházka.
This operation marks a critical step in the global fight against organized cybercrime, with ESET reaffirming its commitment to collaboration and threat intelligence sharing. 0 0
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Khaleej Times
3 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
India: CBI cracks down on cybercrime syndicate scamming UK, Australian citizens
India's Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has cracked down on a transnational cybercrime syndicate running a sophisticated tech support scam targeting citizens of the United Kingdom and Australia, as part of their Operation Chakra-V. The syndicate's call centre was operating under the name FirstIdea. The key operative partner of FirstIdea has been arrested, the CBI said in a statement. The syndicate posed as technical support staff of reputed multinational companies, including Microsoft. The fraudsters were cheating foreign nationals by falsely claiming that their devices were compromised, and extorted money under the guise of resolving non-existent technical issues. The CBI collaborated closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), National Crime Agency (UK), and Microsoft Corporation, to trace the syndicate's operations and locations. Searches were carried out at three locations in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, including at a fully functional fraudulent call centre operating from the Noida Special Economic Zone. The operation was meticulously timed with the time zones of the victims, resulting in the detection of live scam calls in progress during the raids, the CBI said in a statement. During the searches, the CBI seized extensive evidence, including advanced calling infrastructure, malicious scripts used to deceive victims, and documents revealing the scale of the fraud and extortion. Firstldea, was found to be technologically sophisticated, enabling cross-border anonymity and large-scale victim targeting. The arrested partner is being produced before the Special CBI Court today, July 8.
Zawya
10 hours ago
- Zawya
Promofix becomes the authorised Google ads media sales representative across five key MENA markets
Muscat: Promofix, MENA's fastest growing technology provider and a subsidiary of JGROUP, has announced the expansion of its strategic partnership with Google, becoming the authorised media sales representative of Google Ads products and services in five key Middle East and North Africa (Mena) countries: Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, and Jordan. With this new authorisation, Promofix reinforces its position as a digital solutions leader across the Middle East and North Africa. As the officially appointed media sales representative for Google Advertising solutions, Promofix will deliver tailored training, expert account management, strategic guidance, and on-ground services in local languages across key markets. This milestone reflects the company's commitment to driving digital transformation, enabling businesses to reach billions of potential customers at critical moments, and fostering measurable growth and regional competitiveness. Google will continue to directly manage a select portfolio of clients as part of this expanded partnership. Imad Jomaa, Founder and President of JGROUP, stated: 'We are proud to strengthen our collaboration with Google and to bring world class digital solutions closer to businesses in Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan. This partnership reflects our commitment to empowering organisations with the tools they need to elevate their digital strategies, enhance customer engagement, and achieve sustainable growth in an ever-evolving digital landscape.' Anthony Nakache, Managing Director at Google MENA, commented: 'We are pleased with our partnership with Promofix to enable the growing digital ads ecosystem. This partnership is a testament to our commitment to empowering businesses across MENA, helping them to connect meaningfully with their customers and unlock new opportunities for growth in the digital economy.' As Promofix looks to the future, the company remains steadfast in its commitment to driving digital excellence and delivering advanced, market-relevant technology solutions that empower clients to grow and succeed across the region. © Muscat Media Group Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Channel Post MEA
4 days ago
- Channel Post MEA
ESET Reports 9% Growth, Clocks €691M in 2024 Revenue
ESET announced its financial results, with global revenue growth reaching 9 per cent year-on-year to €691 million, led by the EMEA region at 15 per cent. 'While many speak of long-term vision and longevity, few live it. 2024 saw ESET's third consecutive decade of growth — a rare milestone in the technology sector, and one that reflects our progressive mindset, customer trust, and product excellence,' said Richard Marko, CEO of ESET. 'We saw particularly strong momentum in the EMEA region, where our cybersecurity solutions continue to gain traction. This was further reflected by strong performance within our B2B segment, where overall revenue grew by 13 per cent, Enterprise grew by 21 per cent and ESET Services experienced exceptional growth of 56 per cent. As threats evolve, so does our commitment to meeting our customers' need for innovation and resilience.' R&D delivers immediate AI benefits for threat detection and response In 2024, ESET's 847-member-strong technologists and Global Research and Development team worked to revamp ESET LiveGuard Advanced (ELGA), our proprietary cloud-based security module that uses behavioral analysis to prevent targeted attacks and new or unknown threats. This essential work also leveraged our latest developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI), advancing both scanning and filtering and further reducing ELGA's computing requirements in comparative tests. Further development of ESET AI capabilities in 2024 saw us introduce ESET AI Advisor, which allows detection and response teams to leverage multi-agentic AI in incident response and risk analysis. This empowers organizations to fully capitalize on extended detection and response (XDR), taking care of threats before they have a chance to become full-scale security incidents. ESET AI Advisor has also been built into ESET Inspect, the company's XDR-enabling module of the ESET PROTECT Platform, which proved its worth during MITRE's 2024 Enterprise ATT&CK® Evaluations. 'Our long-term investment in research and development continues to benefit an increasing number of customers and make a profound impact,' said Richard Marko. 'Threat actors are making increased use of artificial intelligence and automated tooling; in turn, ESET's attention to, and investment in, AI have not only helped us counter those malicious forces, but have boosted revenue growth in 2024, in particular within the B2B segment.' Threat research and threat intelligence, usability, and defense enhanced for business customers and service partners ESET Research remains at the core of our efforts, informing not only the prevention-enhancing capabilities and R&D of our products (such as ESET Threat Intelligence), but also providing a better understanding of the threat landscape and empowering business and consumer security, globally. ESET Research Highlights: Among our many successes are the research pieces pursued by our award-winning Malware and Threat Research team. Of note are: The discovery of Operation Texonto, a Russian-aligned disinformation and PSYOPs operation targeting Ukrainian readers — including a Ukrainian defense provider and an EU agency Identification of NGate malwarethat enables attackers to clone near-field communication data from victims' physical payment cards to target banking customers Examination of the actions of the Russian-aligned GamaredonAPT group and GoldenJackal cyber espionage group that are operating in Ukraine and conducting attacks across Europe Research publication on RedLine Stealer'sbackend modules as part of the joint investigation into the MaaS group's activities with Dutch police, the FBI, and Eurojust in late 2024. 'In 2024, ESET deepened relationships with several significant government customers and added new partnerships, particularly in the field of cyber threat intelligence. The dividends show as we continue to work closely with law enforcement partners, including Europol, ENISA, and CISA, to help defend businesses, individuals, and societies,' said Roman Kovac, Chief Research Officer at ESET. A great dividend of research on our ongoing product development efforts in 2024 was the introduction of two managed detection and response (MDR) services — one for SMBs and one for enterprises — while also securing several strategic partnerships. This investment contributed to double-digit revenue growth in the SMB and MSP spaces, as well as in the Enterprise segment. This growth was also reflected by our sharpened strategies addressing the complex cybersecurity needs of large enterprises, critical infrastructure, and government institutions. This, too, can be seen in ESET Corporate Solutions' accelerated delivery of tailored solutions for high-stakes environments. Among the developed or expanded partnerships in 2024 were: Progress. Protected. In 2024, ESET continued to redefine what is possible in cybersecurity through cutting-edge research and development. At the heart of this innovation is our deep commitment to AI and machine learning — powering smarter, faster, and more adaptive threat detection systems. Through continuous collaboration with academia and relentless in-house innovation, ESET ensures that our AI-powered solutions not only meet today's cybersecurity demands, but anticipate tomorrow's. Moving forward, ESET's commitment to a cloud-first strategy, robust managed detection and response (MDR) capabilities, and AI-native prevention-first technologies remains central to its vision — ensuring resilience, adaptability, and leadership in an increasingly sophisticated threat landscape. For further information about ESET's successes in 2024, please read the full 2024 ESET Annual Report here.
