Attackers use phishing emails, which include links to a fake Adobe Flash update, to lure victims into installing the Stels trojan.
Microsoft, in partnership with security firm Symantec, announced Wednesday that it has disrupted the Bamital botnet, known for rerouting victim machines to websites, online advertisements and links of the attackers' choosing.
November 01, 2012
The intrusion prevention system is a mainstay of any organization's perimeter-focused security infrastructure, but its days may be numbered as a standalone technology. Yet, its purpose lives on.
Distributed denial-of-service attacks continue to grow in volume and complexity, and are also increasingly being used as a distraction from other criminal activities, according to Arbor Networks.
July 16, 2012
ESET research on malware that attacks 64-bit systems suggests a significant change in the way such malware is used and targeted
June 05, 2012
Tom Kellermann, vice president of cyber security at Trend Micro, joined me on the SC Magazine podcast to discuss an APT campaign known as IXESHE, which is going after sensitive targets from Asia to Germany. But its command-and-control infrastructure really is what makes it special.
June 01, 2012
The Obama administration on Wednesday revealed public-private partnership initiatives to thwart botnets.
The banking trojan Citadel now is being used to trick users into believing they have violated U.S. law and must pay a fine to unfreeze their computers,
An Armenian man charged in 2010 with running the Bredolab botnet was sentenced this week in his home country to four years in prison.
May 21, 2012
Compromising anywhere from a few thousand to well over a million systems, botnets are used by cyber criminals to take over computers and execute illegal and damaging activities.
The company said it is creating software that will detect and remove Flashback, as well as coordinating with global ISPs to dismantle the botnet's infrastructure.
Three domains, which are feeding instructions to computers infected with the Zeus trojan, still are operational despite a Microsoft-led effort to disable the botnet, according to researchers at security firm FireEye.
Banking trojan Zeus and its related families, which have looted a number of small and midsize businesses to the tune of millions, may be partially crippled after the latest Microsoft botnet enforcement effort.
March 08, 2012
Who is behind the production, distribution and exploitation of malicious software today? Knowing the answer is a vital tool in the fight against cyber crime.
February 16, 2012
Trying to solve the spam epidemic? It might be time for organizations to look inward, as machines that are unknowingly seeded with malware are the reason for the botnet scourge.
Researchers from Symantec and North Carolina State University may have stumbled upon one of the largest and most lucrative mobile botnets yet.
A Russian computer programmer has denied allegations by Microsoft that he was responsible for manning a prolific spam botnet.
Microsoft believes it has found the person responsible for the spam-pushing Kelihos botnet, according to a new lawsuit.
The United States has maintained the dubious distinction of being the world's No. 1 relayer of spam, but Asian countries are catching up quickly.
Friday is the deadline for public comments regarding a government proposal to create a model by which internet service providers voluntarily alert consumers if their computers are part of a botnet.
November 01, 2011
Is it an ISP's responsibility to combat botnets, asks SC Magazine Executive Editor Dan Kaplan.
Microsoft has dropped a complaint against a Czech Republic man and his company in relation to their alleged involvement in controlling a recently dismantled botnet.
The Kelihos botnet, made up of approximately 41,000 infected computers worldwide, was capable of sending 3.8 billion spam emails per day.
The U.S. Commerce and Homeland Security departments are seeking public feedback on a recommended program by which internet service providers would "voluntarily and timely detect and notify end-users that their machines have been infected," a move designed help eradicate botnets. According to a notice posted this week in the Federal Register, the agencies are weighing how such an approach would be implemented, for example, incentives may be offered to service providers that participate, and who would be responsible for running the program - industry, the public sector or a partnership between both. Public comments, which must be received by Nov. 4, are expected to examine a number of areas, including the privacy implications of such an approach.
Mobile botnets are nowhere near as big as PC zombie networks, but the threat is growing, according to a new report from Damballa.
A Windows worm known as Morto uses a unique way for infected machines to phone home for instructions.
McAfee has fired back at critics of its report on Operation Shady RAT, and said the CEO of rival anti-virus maker Kaspersky Lab, who called the report "alarmist," missed the whole point of the expose.
Redmond remains steadfast in its effort to imprison those responsible for one of history's largest botnets.
More than half of Rustock-infected machines have been cleaned since Microsoft led a joint effort earlier this year to shut down the prolific botnet.
A new botnet made up of more than 4.5 million infected computers is "practically indestructible," according to researchers at Kaspersky Lab. But some disagree.
