Summary
Share on X X.com Share on Facebook Facebook Email Email The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is publishing this public service announcement (PSA) to raise awareness of residential proxies, the risks they pose, and steps the public can take to safeguard their devices from becoming part of a residential proxy network. Cyber threat actors use residential proxies to facilitate illicit activities, while obfuscating their true identities and locations by routing internet traffic through home and small business internet networks. A residential proxy is an intermediary server between individuals and websites they visit to make their connections appear to originate elsewhere. Legitimate IP addresses assigned by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to consumers' Internet of Things (IoT) 1 devices, such as TV streaming devices, digital picture frames, smartphones, tablets, and routers are used to route traffic. Once an internet-connected device is compromised, the device's IP address can be used by threat actors to mask their online illegal activity, making the consumer appear responsible. Understanding how residential proxies work A residential proxy is used to route users’ requests through another IoT device, typically located elsewhere in the world.