The Corliss Technology Review Group, Microsoft disrupts online fraud botnet Zero Access

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Corliss Tech Review Group

• Microsoft disrupts online fraud botnet Zero
  Access

http//zeenews.india.com/news/net-news/microsoft-d
isrupts-online-fraud-botnet-zeroaccess_895017.html
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• London Microsoft and law enforcement agencies
  have reportedly disrupted one of the world's
  largest botnets, ZeroAccess that triggered online
  fraud.
•  
• The botnet is a network of computers infected
  with malware that hijacks web search results and
  redirects users to potentially dangerous sites to
  steal their details.
•  
• According to the BBC, the botnet, also generates
  fraudulent ad clicks on infected computers then
  claims payouts from duped advertisers and has
  infected about two million computers.
•  
• Also called Sirefef botnet, Zero Access targets
  search results on Google, Bing and Yahoo search
  engines and is estimated to cost online
  advertisers 2.7million dollars per month.

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• Microsoft said that it had been authorized by US
  regulators to block incoming and outgoing
  communications between computers located in the
  US and the 18 identified Internet Protocol (IP)
  addresses being used to commit the fraudulent
  schemes.
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• Executive director of Microsoft Digital Crimes
  Unit, David Finn said that the disruption will
  stop victims' computers from being used for fraud
  and help in identifying the computers that need
  to be cleaned of the infection.
•  
• Microsoft said that due to its botnet
  architecture, Zero Access is one of the most
  robust and durable botnets in operation today and
  was built to be resilient to disruption efforts,
  but the latest action is expected to
  significantly disrupt the botnet's operation, the
  report added.
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