U.S.: 2.2 million Windows PCs in botnets

A new report published by Microsoft shows that more than 2.2 million PCs running Windows in the United States have been recruited into botnets.

Izvor: BBC

Thursday, 14.10.2010.

13:09

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A new report published by Microsoft shows that more than 2.2 million PCs running Windows in the United States have been recruited into botnets. The figure refers to the first six months of 2010, with the statistics gathered from the 600 million machines that are enrolled in Microsoft's various update services or use its Essentials and Defender security packages, reports the BBC. U.S.: 2.2 million Windows PCs in botnets Next on the list is Brazil, with 550,000 hijacked home computers running Windows, while "14.6 out of every 1000 machines in South Korea were found to be enrolled in botnets". Microsoft announced that the research was undertaken "to alert people to the growing danger from the malicious networks". The Windows machines that eventually become part of a botnet are first infected with a virus. Once herded into the illegal network, its owners use them "to send out spam, phishing e-mails and launch attacks on websites", the BBC reports. Information obtained from infected PCs is also sold on the underground auction sites and markets found online. The report also mentions that in the three months between April and June 2010, Microsoft "cleaned up more than 6.5 million infections which is twice as much as the same period in 2009". Microsoft also advised their users to defend their PCs by "signing up for automatic updates, making sure the applications they use are regularly patched, using anti-virus software and running a firewall". The BBC reports that Microsoft just issued its largest ever list of fixes for flaws in Windows, "including one that plugs a hole exploited by Stuxnet, the first-known worm designed to target real-world infrastructure such as power stations, water plants and industrial units".

U.S.: 2.2 million Windows PCs in botnets

Next on the list is Brazil, with 550,000 hijacked home computers running Windows, while "14.6 out of every 1000 machines in South Korea were found to be enrolled in botnets".

Microsoft announced that the research was undertaken "to alert people to the growing danger from the malicious networks".

The Windows machines that eventually become part of a botnet are first infected with a virus. Once herded into the illegal network, its owners use them "to send out spam, phishing e-mails and launch attacks on websites", the BBC reports.

Information obtained from infected PCs is also sold on the underground auction sites and markets found online.

The report also mentions that in the three months between April and June 2010, Microsoft "cleaned up more than 6.5 million infections which is twice as much as the same period in 2009".

Microsoft also advised their users to defend their PCs by "signing up for automatic updates, making sure the applications they use are regularly patched, using anti-virus software and running a firewall".

The BBC reports that Microsoft just issued its largest ever list of fixes for flaws in Windows, "including one that plugs a hole exploited by Stuxnet, the first-known worm designed to target real-world infrastructure such as power stations, water plants and industrial units".

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