Google has just announced it's taken down a huge network made by malicious users, who used everyday phones, computers, and smart devices silently as internet gateways... without paying rent.
Google takes down shady network that was using Android phones
The Mountain View tech giant has used a US federal court order and taken down dozens of backend systems and websites that belonged to a firm called Ipidea. According to Google, the China-based company operated the world's largest "residential proxy network".
Basically, this means the network allowed hackers and malicious users to route their internet traffic through the Android phones of unsuspecting users. This tactic made it so it appeared that the hacker was browsing the internet through a random person's phone, not their own device.
Your Android phone is used like that without you ever knowing it was.
Image Credit - PhoneArena
How it gets to your phone is simple. Apparently, most of the people whose phones unknowingly ended up on that network had installed some free app or game, which had the secret proxy code. Once this happens, the hackers can route their internet traffic through the device, potentially use your IP address, and hide shady and even criminal activity this way.
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Google's Play Protect, which is a built-in security protection for Android, automatically warns users and removes apps that have Ipidea SDKs. It also blocks further install attempts. Despite that, though, Ipidea had reportedly paid developers per download of the SDK, and people may have ended up installing apps that contain them.
Last year, malicious users hacked a ton of devices tied to Ipidea's network. Subsequently, at least two million systems were hijacked and turned into a huge botnet called Kimwolf. This botnet was used to execute DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks on websites and cause websites to go offline.
The Kimwolf botnet was called by researchers the most powerful botnet ever observed.
What scares you more about this story?
Ipidea network apparently used approximately nine million Android devices
The Mountain View tech giant now says that millions of devices are now disconnected from the network thanks to Ipidea's takedown. According to The Wall Street Journal, we're talking about approximately nine million Android devices that were previously connected to that network.
Moreover, Google has also removed hundreds of apps that were associated with Ipidea.
On the other hand, Ipidea claims that its services are aimed at legitimate business use, and it claims that it opposes any illegal activity. A spokesperson from that company reportedly told the WSJ that it used aggressive marketing tactics in the past (including hacker forum promos) but has since stopped.
Google maintains that the risks associated with all of this were too high to ignore.
Still, despite Google removing a huge part of the network, researchers advise users to stay away from installing free apps and games from unknown sources. You should also pay attention to what permissions an app requests and remove apps you don't use or recognize from your phone.
That's why free apps sometimes aren't really "free"
I find this whole thing both impressive and a bit scary. It's nice to see Google stepping in and dismantling a network of this scale. The idea that your phone could quietly help hide shady and even criminal stuff without any obvious signs is wild and, honestly, unsettling.
At the same time, we should remember that convenience always comes with trade-offs. Android offers users a lot of freedom, but this generally means you need to be a bit more careful. For me, all of this reinforces a simple habit: no random apps, no sketchy permissions, and regular cleanups.
Yep, Google did its job here, but still, users also need to be careful if they want to stay safe online.
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Izzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities. Outside her professional life, Izzy, a literature master's degree holder, enjoys reading, painting, and learning languages. She's also a personal growth advocate, believing in the power of experience and gratitude. Whether it's walking her Chihuahua or singing her heart out, Izzy embraces life with passion and curiosity.
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