IXESHE Malware Avoids Easy Detection to Remain a Persistent Threat

Trend Micro today issued a report on an advanced persistent threat that uses stealthy data-stealing malware called IXESHE “i-sushi” to infect machines. So far it’s hit East Asian governments, Taiwanese electronics manufacturers and German telecommunications firms operating across Asia. Though the...

New Flashback Variant Using Twitter as Backup C&C Channel

The latest version of the Flashback malware that’s infecting Macs has a new command-and-control infrastructure that used Twitter as a fallback mechanism in case the normal C&C system isn’t available. This is not the first time a botnet has used Twitter for some form of command and control, but it...

Questions Abound On Size and Makeup of Flashback Botnet

The botnet assembled by the Flashback Trojan that’s been infecting Macs in recent months is turning out to be a rather difficult one to pin down. Researchers have said that the network of compromised machines may be upwards of 600,000, while newere estimates say that it’s more likely in the...

New TGLoader Android Malware Found in Alternative Markets

Alternative mobile app markets have become a great place to find new games, utilities and other apps. But mostly they’re great if you’re looking for the latest stealthy Android malware. The newest example is a piece of malware called TGLoader that is showing up in repackaged legitimate apps and h...

Microsoft, Financial Groups Execute Takedown of Zeus Botnet Servers

Microsoft has gone after another botnet, this time targeting some of the command-and-control infrastructure behind the Zeus network with a takedown effort that included seizing two IP addresses used for C&C servers and filing suit against 39 unnamed defendants. The action against Zeus is the late...

Variant of Zeusbot/Spyeye Botnet uses p2p network model

Variant of Zeusbot/Spyeye Botnet uses p2p network model Cybercriminals are using a modified version of the Zeusbot/Spyeye, which is using a peer-to-peer P2P network architecture, rather than a simple bot to command-and-control C&C server system, making the botnet much harder to take down, Symante...

Attackers Moving Zeus Servers to Former Soviet Union TLD

The groups of attackers that employ the Zeus toolkit for their scams and malware campaigns have long used sites in the .ru Russian TLD as homes for their botnet controllers. Security researchers and law enforcement agencies have had a difficult time making headway in getting these domains taken...

Duqu Attackers Wiped Out C&C Infrastructure After Public Disclosures

Researchers have known for years that virus writers and attackers pay close attention to the analyses researchers do of their work, and it appears that the Duqu authors are no exception. Shortly after the first public reports about Duqu emerged in early autumn, the crew behind Duqu wiped out all ...

Attackers Adjusting Tactics to Evade Reputation Systems

BARCELONA–As in life, reputations on the Internet take time to build up. Attackers interested in making a quick buck aren’t necessarily the most patient lot, so as the various repuation systems on the Web have gotten more sophisticated and accurate, the bad guys have had to adjust their tactics a...

Mega-D: March, 2010

The takedown of Mega-D, also known as Ozdok, was spearheaded by researchers at anti-botnet firm FireEye. The botnet, a byproduct of PC infections linked to the Mega-D Trojan, comprised tens of thousands of machines and was responsible for sending out a large portion of the spam on the Internet–at...

Report: IRC Botnets Dying…But Not Dead

Once the most common form of malicious computer network, botnets that use the IRC Internet Relay Chat protocol are going the way of the Brontosaurus, according to a report from Internet security monitoring firm Team Cymru. Under fire from better monitoring of IRC command and control C&C traffic a...

Tracker: SpyEye Not Yet Zeus-Like In Stature

The SpyEye Tracker, a new site that hopes to trace the activity of the budding SpyEye Trojan, went live this week and shows the emerging SpyEye botnet to be global in reach, but still much smaller than the Zeus botnet with which it has merged. SpyEye Tracker has already identified 68 malicious...

U.S. Reigns As Most Bot-Infected Country

The U.S. has by far the highest number of bot-infected computers of any country in the world, with nearly four times as many infected PCs as the country in second place, Brazil, according to a new report by Microsoft. The quarterly report on malicious software and Internet attacks shows that whil...

Botnet-For-Hire Model Resurfaces in New IMDDOS Botnet

Researchers have identified a new botnet based in China that was openly selling DDoS-for-hire services and had managed to plant roots inside a number of major U.S. ISPs. The botnet, known as IMDDOS, is mostly contained right now and the researchers are working with authorities to locate its...

Researchers Cripple Pushdo Botnet

Researchers have made a huge dent in a major variant of the Pushdo botnet, virtually crippling the network by working with hosting providers to take down about two thirds of the command-and-control servers involved in the botnet. Pushdo for years has been one of the major producers of spam and...

Koobface Worm Doubles C&C Servers in 48 Hours

Yesterday’s shut down of Troyak-as was definitely good news for the whole IT security community. Seeing cybercriminals getting kicked out from the Internet and then trying to get back inside calls for popcorn and soda. But unfortunately, as some botnets struggle, others stay unaffected: Koobface,...

How to Take Down a Botnet

The botnet problem has reached epidemic levels in recent months, with the continued growth of large-scale botnets, as well as the identification of smaller, more targeted networks around the world. But researchers have been taking steps to disrupt botnets of late, with some notable successes, as...