No Place Like Home Network: Disrupting the world’s largest residential proxy network

No Place Like Home Network: Disrupting the world’s largest residential proxy network cloud.google.com/blog/topi… Google, in coordination with partners, has taken action against what it assesses to be one of the largest residential proxy networks globally — the IPIDEA proxy network. IPIDEA’s infrastructure enabled bad actors to route traffic through compromised residential devices, masking malicious activity behind legitimate consumer IP addresses. The network relied in part on software development kits (SDKs) embedded in mobile and desktop applications that covertly enrolled user devices into the proxy network. The disruption, led by Google Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG), included: • Legal action to seize and disrupt domains used to control infected devices and proxy traffic • Sharing technical intelligence on IPIDEA SDKs and proxy software with platform providers, law enforcement and research partners to drive broader ecosystem enforcement • Blocking and removing applications containing IPIDEA SDKs through Google Play Protect, and preventing future installations on certified Android devices Google stated that the objective is to limit the network’s ability to scale, protect users from covert device enrolment, and reduce the misuse of residential proxy infrastructure for cybercrime operations.