Shadow botnet pwned by The Law, notifies infected users

Computers, Internet
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sad_pc.gifIn a novel twist that probably won’t send shivers down the spines of evil spammers, a botnet was reprogrammed to send infection warnings to all the computers it had previously infected.

The Shadow botnet was formed by spoofing messages via Windows Live Messenger, spreading through users’ contact lists.

Once the two Dutch teenagers responsible for the botnet had been arrested, the High Tech Crime Unit, in collaboration with security firm Kaspersky, were able to secure and control it.

Unfortunately, this success is unlikely to thwart other PC-controlling software, but it’s a novel twist nonetheless.

(Via Ars Technica)

Related posts: AOL IM targeted for botnet | Viruses masquerading as Facebook friends

Andy Merrett
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