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Storm Worm Being Reduced to a Squall

Rumours of financial schemes surrounding the botnet aside, PC World has an article that should lower the blood pressure of some SysAdmins. The Storm Worm botnet is apparently shrinking. A researcher out of UC San Diego who has been tracking the network has published a report indicating it is now only 10% of its former size. "Some estimates have put Storm at 50 million computers, a number that would give its controllers access to more processing power than the world's most powerful supercomputer. But Enright said that the real story is significantly less terrifying. In July, for example, he said that Storm appeared to have infected about 1.5 million PCs, about 200,000 of which were accessible at any given time. Enright guessed that a total of about 15 million PCs have been infected by Storm in the nine months it has been around, although the vast majority of those have been cleaned up and are no longer part of the Storm network."

10 of 183 comments (clear)

  1. Good by Colin+Smith · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now that it's down to 5 million we can all breathe a sigh of relief...

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  2. Re:Spread of Windows by Colin+Smith · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hmmm... Windows as a threat to national security ...

    Imagines SWAT teams dodging chairs as they storm Microsoft headquarters to screams of "You'll never take me alive copper!"

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  3. Oblig Inverse by hksdot · · Score: 2, Funny

    I for one bid farewell to our swarm intelligence worm overlords.

  4. Re:Oblig. by marcosdumay · · Score: 3, Funny

    Windows boxes are getting more secure all the time.

    But we can only guess when they will be ready for widespread use...

  5. Re:Spread of Windows by rustalot42684 · · Score: 5, Funny
    But then SWAT is beaten back by Clippy:
    It looks like you're trying to raid the Redmond campus. Would you like to:
    • Hunt and kill all the employees
    • Destroy the supercomputer cores
    • Uncover the secret plot for world domination
    • Just raid the campus without help
    # Don't show me this tip again
  6. ...reduced to a Squall by Wonko+the+Sane · · Score: 4, Funny

    So it now has a scar on it's face, and carries a sword-gun?

  7. Re:Spread of Windows by Keruo · · Score: 4, Funny

    > It also appears that the Malicious Software Removal Tool doesn't require validation either.

    Fixed your link.

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    There are no atheists when recovering from tape backup.
  8. Re:Spread of Windows by Gerzel · · Score: 2, Funny

    Balmer is a master of his art. There would be no dodging.

  9. Re:Advice Please by iogan · · Score: 1, Funny

    It might be diet related. Get her to eat more healthy food, and then see what happens.

  10. Re:Oblig. by calebt3 · · Score: 2, Funny

    *my* Windows box has never been "hacked". Give me a few more minutes.