From PC World: Google recently announced in a statement that it has disrupted the “world’s largest residential proxy network.” It was able to remain undetected for a long time, hijacking innocent users’ private devices (including smartphones, PCs, and smart home devices) and using them as gateways for distributing data.
The company explains that a Chinese company called IPIDEA was behind it and, with the help of a US federal court order, Google was able to shut down several websites and backend systems, thereby preventing the network from continuing to operate.
In short, a proxy server is like a relay that forwards requests and caches data. For example, suppose an attacker wants to launch a DDoS attack. Instead of attacking with their own traceable devices, the attacker could relay the attacks through a proxy network comprised of smartphones and devices owned by others, thus concealing their own identity.
According to Google, millions of devices belonged to IPIDEA’s proxy network, including at least 9 million Android smartphones.
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