The New Face of Script Kiddiez

An anonymous reader writes "Washingtonpost.com's Security Fix blog has an interesting post profiling the activities of a kid named Witlog who controls a botnet of roughly 30,000 hacked Windows PCs. Even after the authorities manage to shut down the network Witlog uses to control his bots, he pops up somewhere else. From the article: 'Witlog may in fact be the product of a new generation of script kiddiez; the chief distinguishing feature of this generation being that instead of using Web site flaws to deface as many Web sites as possible, these guys are breaking into thousands of home and work PCs and taking them for a virtual joyride, often times all the way to the bank.'"

Comments

Now here's an interesting idea.

[Spy der Mann]

Spread a worm that:

* Spreads itself to at least 2 other computers (for survival)
* Downloads and installs ad-aware
* Activates your windows firewall
* Downloads appropriate patches from Microsoft
* Prepares ad-aware to run on the next boot
* Deletes itself from the system

That'd be so beautiful *sniff* :')

Embarrassment for Microsoft

[digitaldc]

SecurityFix: so did you just download the source from some site and set it loose?
Witlog: yes
Witlog: changed settings, and started it
Witlog: thats all
Witlog: anyone could do that
Witlog: you don't have to know many things to do a botnet like this

Why can't Microsoft push out its security fixes like this???

Spammers discussing arrests on specialham today

[Animats]

Specialham, the spammer hangout, usually has ads for botnets. Today, though, the spammers are discussing someone who got caught:

Adam Vitale aka Batch1 arrested by Secret Service

• From what I heard it was a guy named Sean Dunaway (spelled wrong I think). He used to work for AOL, sold out their huge 90+ million members dbase, got jail time, and apperently is working for the man now. This is a big case, pump and dump stock scams can hurt people to the tune of millions of dollars.
  M.
• Yeah pump & dump would seem more like the Secret Service's department... the article just spoke of "promoting computer security software"... perhaps additional charges will be filed later... maybe this was just the SS's way to get him jailed and put pressure on him...
  Saw your other post too.. U r right, whoever isn't mailing compliant these days and is promoting illegal shit like pharm or stocks on top of it, is just asking for the feds to bust through their door...
  Hamster
• From what i hear it wasnt about stocks or spamming, the security spam stuff was just a coverup. What the feds were really after was a botnet the guys were mailing from. Dont know the truth to this but i would not doubt it one bit, it would make sense why the SS was involved.
• Just goes to show swank has ties with the antis look at this http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/evidence.lasso?rokso _id=ROK4262
  I am not saying this guy didnt scam tons of people which is not right however if swank does not like you for whatever reason he will post you info on his anti friends websites so be very very carefull when dealing with swank and make sure your personal info is kept to you.. Personal revenge is the key to try and recover money that was scammed not whoring shit out to the anti's....
  P.S. swank you know I dont like fake people.. You guys get a kick of this one http://www.spamhaus.org/rokso/evidence.lasso?rokso _id=ROK4021
  Look half way down the message and you will see this
  "Swank"(Chris Brown) and "Batch1"(Adam Vitale) are in a tiff over a spam deal gone bad, and are in a flame-war on spamforum.biz.
  Swank has repeatedly posted "Batch1's contact info that was used in their spam dealings with each other.
  I think this is what I have been explaining all along about how swank has ties to the antis and posts peoples info if he doesnt like them and if you notice reading these articals the anti's really never say anything bad about swank HMMMM I wonder if he is friends with them.. Enjoy guys.....
• Sean Dunaway is spelt correctly and he did not work for AOL and did not receive jail time. Soo sad that people are this missinformed.
• Also the math makes no sense: Spammed 1.2 million AOL users with onbly 47,000 messages? Huh?
  ...
  1200000 / recipients_per_Email = 47,000 emails sent.
  hard to understand isnt it hamster ;)
  also if you've paid any attention to the forum, the informant (sean dunaway) is already notified and you've started a double thread because of your ignorance :P

This is starting to sound like those Mafia wiretap transcripts that came out as the New York Mafia was coming unglued. Law enforcement was doing well enough that the crooks were more afraid than the good guys, and were desperately trying to figure out who was selling out.

Spamming is starting to yield to straightforward police work.