Nitol Infections Fall, But Malware Still Popping Up

When Microsoft went after the Nitol botnet in September, one of the key details in the investigation was the fact that much of the botnet was built by pre-loading malware onto laptops during the manufacturing process in China. This was the clearest case yet of the phenomenon of certified pre-owne...

Nitol Botnet Shares Code with Other China-Based DDoS Malware

Microsoft has learned that much of the code used by the Nitol malware family is copied from free malware resources hosted on Chinese websites. Microsoft posted portions of the code online this week where similar lines used for denial of service attack functionality are present in Nitol and on the...

Microsoft Reaches Settlement with Site Linked to Nitol Botnet

Microsoft announced today it’s reached a settlement with the operator of a Chinese Web site whose domain and sub-domains hosted more than 500 kinds of malware, including the Nitol botnet found on brand new computers. In a lawsuit filed two weeks ago by the software giant, Microsoft alleged the...

Microsoft Carries out Nitol Botnet Takedown

A botnet known as Nitol, built on the backs of PCs and laptops loaded with malware somewhere in the supply chain, was taken down by Microsoft. Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit was given permission this week by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to take over the 3322.org...