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FBI Takes Out $14M DNS Malware Operation
coondoggie writes "U.S. law enforcement today said it had smashed what it called a massive, sophisticated Internet fraud scheme that injected malware in more than four million computers in over 100 countries while generating $14 million in illegitimate income. Of the computers infected with malware, at least 500,000 were in the United States, including computers belonging to U.S. government agencies, such as NASA."
Posted from one of the bots.
Sometimes you just gotta hand it to 'em
It would be interesting to see the breakdown of the operating systems the infected computers were running.
That's like claiming the interception of one bale of weed at the Mexican Border is a Major Interdiction.
Still, glad they're doing something. Every little bit helps.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
The FBI managed to stop MAFIAA from passing PROTECT-IP?
I'm not a lawyer, but I play one on the Internet. Blog
Remember the UDP days? If you'd spam usenet, you'd be cut off. It was not determined by content, just by volume.
We need something similar for virus infections. If your machine gets pwned, and any external signs of that can be detected, you are immediately cut off the internet. No distinction: you can be a housewife, a bank, a government agency, whatever. Doesn't matter: you put an infected machine on the internet, and your connection is disabled until you have clearly demonstrated that you have fixed the problem. After your third strike, you ALSO have to demonstrate that you have taken reasonable action to stop having this problem in the future.
Because goddamn it, it just *isn't that bloody hard*. Seriously. Computers are a core part of modern life. It's possible to run a safe Windows machine, although it takes more knowledge than it does for iOS or Linux say. If you don't have that knowledge, either (A) pay someone else to manage it for you, (B) learn, (C) pick a more secure OS that's easier to avoid malware, or (D) stop using the public internet.
We don't let drivers that crash their vehicles all the time drive on public roads. Time to institute this for the internet. We've had personal computing for 40-odd years now. It's really long past time to learn how the hell to secure your box. There is NO security, no anti-virus program, *nothing*, that can make up for ignorant people. So the only solution is at a social level: we must institute penalties for ignorance. Only that way will the average dude get off his ass and learn not to run HotGirlsNaked.exe. Otherwise, there is nothing in it for him, and there IS NO technical solution to human stupidity. The reason that average dude can sorta-kinda drive without plowing into things left and right is because there is a severe penalty for him if he causes damage to the public or public resources with his car. The internet is a public resource. To avoid the tragedy of the commons, there MUST be a penalty for abusing it.
Oh wait, so it's not about Skype?
Nothing to say here... move along
It would be interesting to see the breakdown of the operating systems the infected computers were running.
Ah, we're all about socializing the externalities for the corporations these days. How much of this bill do you think Microsoft will pick up? How about 'none' so they have no real incentive to secure their products?
Heck, it justifies a larger FBI, so they'll probably give them a metal for being so cooperative.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Minor difference:
American citizens want weed.
Malware.. Not so much.
...because there are now 4 million pre-compromised systems in the field. It's a certainty that they are now all attractive targets for anyone clever enough to detect them and acquire control of them. I think chances are quite good that as you're reading this, more than one person/group is attempting that very thing. They'll probably succeed. And when they do, they'll use yet another C&C mechanism to organize them, harness them, and get on to whatever mischief they choose.
Seen in that context, this announcement is just a PR exercise. It has no real significance.
Congratulations! The Botnet operators thought $3.50 (for them) was worth more than (probability you noticed a problem) * (all the effort and money it would take you to fix it.) Of course, if you're a typical botnet zombie host, the effort and cost were $0, plus a bit extra because your PC is running slower, but hey, you had lots of bogomips to spare.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Lets point those 4 million at your ipaddress and let you tell us how massive a DOS that would be.
This is good on Lion and Snow Leopard AFAIK: networksetup -getdnsservers Ethernet Wi-Fi
This command has extensive help: networksetup -help
I use networksetup every day. I have numerous makefile targets that change my network settings based on my location. I'm a a road warrior changing networks frequently and using a VPN and ssh to connect to the corporate network.
"Mit der Dummheit kaempfen Goetter selbst vergebens." - Schiller
"U.S. law enforcement today said it had smashed what it called a massive, sophisticated Internet fraud scheme that injected malware in more than four million computers in over 100 countries while generating $14 million in illegitimate income. Of the computers infected with malware, at least 500,000 were in the United States, including computers belonging to U.S. government agencies, such as NASA".
Did any of these malware infested 'computers` run Microsoft Windows?
I read the link but it didn't mention OSX.
Let me guess, a Windows turfer? Because you misled people into thinking it was OSX, and added 'Linux' compliment on to get votes.
Don't you have to be running Linux to have BogoMIPS?
Wouldn't these machines likely be running a different operating system?
Cheers
Article mentions that the criminals were estonians, but when I read the local news, yes I am from Estonia, I realized that all of them were actually russians. They just happen to have citizenship of Estonia.
FBI code named Magic Lantern (botnet) eeek!
All cows eat grass!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BonziBUDDY
If it's packaged nicely....
DNS Abuse Resistance Education and MacRuff, the Router Crime Dog.
Finally doing some good in the world, keep it up, feels good to the rest of us.
Interfering in the free market.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it