[Back to the takedown index](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns)

# 3ve ad-fraud botnet disruption

November 2018, Malware and botnets
Led by [Federal Bureau of Investigation](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/federal-bureau-of-investigation)

Extended pass entry, last reviewed August 21, 2026

What was taken down?

Botnet C2 and fraudulent ad-traffic infrastructure disrupted; sinkholing conducted with private-sector partners.

[See what happened](#what-happened)

What happened to the people?

Officials reported 8 charged.
Group accounted for: Partial

[See people and accountability](#people)

Did it stay down?

Not established in the public record. No later activity is recorded against this entry.

[See what happened afterward](#afterward)

## What happened

DOJ/FBI, working with a coalition of technology and security companies including Google, White Ops, and others, disrupted the 3ve digital-advertising-fraud botnet and unsealed related indictments.

**Date:** November 2018

**Target:** 3ve ("Eve"), ad fraud botnet

**Activity:** Malware and botnets

**Operational lead:** FBI

**Partners**

Google[[1]](#source-1)

- [Google](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/google), technical partner

**Jurisdiction:** Not established

**Outcome:** Botnet C2 and fraudulent ad-traffic infrastructure disrupted; sinkholing conducted with private-sector partners.

**Status:** Completed

**Legal mechanism:** Federal indictment; coordinated technical sinkholing operation.

**Group accounted for:** Partial

## People and accountability

No individual is named against this entry in the cited record. That is a gap in what has been published rather than a finding that nobody was involved.

Group accounted for: Partial

The cited record does not say how large the group was or whether everyone involved has been identified.

[See the organizations and roles behind this action](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/3ve-ad-fraud-botnet-disruption/organizations)

## What happened afterward

Not established in the public record. No later activity is recorded against this entry.

## Sources

Numbered markers throughout this entry link to the source that supports the claim beside them.

### Official sources

1.
[Nine charged in $36 million digital advertising fraud scheme (3ve/Methbot)](https://takedownindex.org/sources/us-doj-fbi-nine-charged-in-36-million-digital-advertising-fraud-scheme-3ve-methb)

US DOJ / FBI, November 27, 2018, Source grade P1

Establishes the 3ve ad-fraud botnet disruption and associated indictment.

No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher.

Coverage note. Added from deep-research aggregation pass. Not independently re-verified source-by-source to the same standard as the original 38-incident core; source\_quality capped at S2/P2 pending a dedicated verification pass.

Research context

## How this entry was checked

This entry came from a broader aggregation pass and has not been independently verified source by source. Its sources are graded no higher than P2 or S2, and most carry no address yet. Treat the figures as a research lead rather than a settled record.

Source review: Extended pass, not yet verified

Sources cited: 1

Research cutoff: August 20, 2026

Last reviewed August 21, 2026

See also

[About the Internet Takedown Index](https://takedownindex.org/about)

Related entries

- [Operation Trojan Shield](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/operation-trojan-shield)
- [DeepDotWeb domain seizure](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/deepdotweb-domain-seizure)
- [VPNFilter botnet disruption](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/vpnfilter-botnet-disruption)

Report updates or corrections

Help keep this record accurate.

[Submit feedback](https://takedownindex.org/about#corrections-and-updates)