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Justice Dept. Names ZeuS Trojan Author, Seizes Control of P2P "Gameover" Botnet
tsu doh nimh (609154) writes "The U.S. Justice Department announced today an international law enforcement operation to seize control over the Gameover ZeuS botnet, a sprawling network of hacked Microsoft Windows computers that currently infects an estimated 500,000 to 1 million compromised systems globally. Experts say PCs infected with Gameover are being harvested for sensitive financial and personal data, and that the botnet is responsible for more than $100 million in losses from online banking account takeovers. The government alleges that Gameover also was rented out to an elite cadre of hackers for use in online extortion attacks, spam and other illicit moneymaking schemes. In a complaint unsealed today, the DOJ further alleges that ZeuS and Gameover are the brainchild of a Russian man named Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev, a.k.a. 'Slavik.'"
And where one compromised Windows machine falls, two more will arise to take its place.
Because, you know, the NSA et al are doing just as much hacking as the black hats are.
At which point, one must assume they'll continue to use this botnet for their own purposes, and not simply dismantle it.
Why give up an established spy network?
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Ah, the old "security through schizophrenia" argument.
Since the government have control of all those computers now, would it be ethical for them to go in and actually install the patches to stop them being easily becoming victims next time around?
Just have to put this out there, but now that the government has taken control, how much do you want to bet the NSA will use this opportunity to spy? Even if they do not use Zeus long term, they could use it to install their own software on millions of PCs that are already infected.
You ought to get yourself on of those "Hackers hate this guy. <insert your nearest city name> mom foils Zeus trojan wit this ONE SIMPLE TRICK!"
According to this article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/tech... the C&C servers will be replaced by new ones, so there is only a 2 week window until the network is back up and running.
Maybe that's why I've had no more notices to appear in court the last couple of days.
The magistrate was getting pissed off telling me to go away!
Well, he was making money and was pro-freedom so he would probably be held up as a hero in the US too.
I was under the impression the NSA hired these people to make the botnets to harvest data. Once the NSA is done using it or are near exposure they dump everything on the person they hired and place the blame there.
Yeah, cause he helped the American people by... oh, wait, he's just a straight-up villain...
Peter predicted that you would "deliberately forget" creation 2000 years ago...
If you had told someone 25 years ago that criminals in Russia try to steal your ID for profit while in the USA the state tries to invade your privacy to ferret out dissidents...
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
You'd have been right. ;-)
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
I'd probably have been asked whether I got that the wrong way 'round, rather.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
And yet, you'd still have been right. :-P
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Why aren't they going after terrorists? We all need to sacrifice to defeat terrorism, and if it means compromised systems and stripped bank accounts, well, that is the price we all have to pay.
I am not a robot. I am a unicorn.