The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has shut down 3FN, a web hosting service associated with various online criminal activity. 3FN was accused of hosting child pornography, spammers, and malware creators. According to the FTC, over 4,500 harmful software programs were controlled by the firm’s servers. The company was ordered to liquidate all assets and surrender 1.08$ million in illegal profits.
The court order was handed down by Judge Ronald Whyte of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose, who said “[security] experts had analyzed data derived from internet searches which establish that defendant, an internet service provider, was engaged in widespread illegal activity. There seems to be little doubt from the information provided that [it] functioned primarily as an internet service provider for illegal activity.”
3FN avoided detection by frequently changing IP addresses. FTC officials said 3FN and its other alias companies were distributing malware capable of keystroke logging, password stealing other data theft using hidden backdoor remote control programs to steal personal information and spread spam.
