05.06.09
Eye on Microsoft: The Windows Security Meltdown Continues
Summary: The last thing the world needs right now is Windows botnets, but it keeps getting worse
• 12 million new IP addresses have been hijacked by botnets
Today the McAfee first quarter threat report revealed that cybercriminals have taken control of almost 12 million new IP addresses since January, a 50 percent increase since 2008.
• Researchers hijack botnet, score 56,000 passwords in an hour
The Torpig botnet was hijacked by the good guys for ten days earlier this year before its controllers issued an update and took the botnet back. During that time, however, researchers were able to gain a glimpse into the kind of information the botnet gathers as well as the behavior of Internet users who are prone to malware infections.
• Botnet hijacking reveals 70GB of stolen data
Security researchers have managed to infiltrate the Torpig botnet, a feat that allowed them to gain important new insights into one of the world’s most notorious zombie networks by collecting an astounding 70 GB worth of data stolen in just 10 days.
During that time, Torpig bots stole more than 8,300 credentials used to login to 410 different financial institutions, according to the research team from the University of California at Santa Barbara. More than 21 percent of the accounts belonged to PayPal users. Overall, a total of almost 298,000 unique credentials were intercepted from more than 52,000 infected machines.
• China hardest hit as malware attacks increase
China received the brunt of a rise in malware attacks around the world in April, doubling its share of attacks from the previous month as the lucrative online gaming market attracted hits from cybercriminals.
• US needs ‘digital warfare force’
The head of America’s National Security Agency says that America needs to build a digital warfare force for the future, according to reports.
Lt Gen Keith Alexander, who also heads the Pentagon’s new Cyber Command, outlined his views in a report for the House Armed Services subcommittee.
