[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Microsoft (MS) has detected hacking activities that could potentially influence the U.S. presidential election.
On the 12th (local time), MS announced that it had taken down servers behind 'TrickBot,' a vast malicious software network used in cyberattacks including ransomware. MS stated that after securing a federal court order, it collaborated with global telecommunications providers to shut down these networks.
MS described TrickBot as the world's largest botnet operated by Russian-speaking hackers. A botnet is an internet network of devices infected with bots, which are software that perform automated hacking tasks. Since 2016, TrickBot has infected one million computers worldwide, but its exact identity remains unknown.
According to MS, TrickBot allows hackers to sell services enabling other hackers to inject malicious software such as ransomware into vulnerable computers, routers (communication devices), and other equipment.
U.S. officials have warned that ransomware could pose a threat to websites containing election information or software companies providing services to election officials.
Tom Burt, MS's Corporate Vice President of Customer Security and Trust, stated, "Adversaries could use ransomware to infect computer systems that manage voter rolls or report election results," adding, "They can take control of systems timed to cause maximum confusion and distrust."
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