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Symantec and Microsoft join forces to stop a botnet, and for the first time they provide clean-up tools directly to people with infected computers
Microsoft and security software maker Symantec have revealed that they collaborated on the take-down of a botnet that had infected hundreds of thousands of computers.
By stopping the botnet, infected computers were reportedly unable to search the Internet.According to the story as first reported by Reuters, this is the first time that the companies which stopped the botnet directly warned people who had infected computers and offered them clean-up tools.
The botnet, called Bamital, is the sixth one that that Microsoft has received a court order to stop since 2010 and the second that it has worked with Symantec to halt. Last week, the companies asked for a court approval to shut it down, reported Reuters.
Vikram Thakur, principal security response manager at Symantec, explained the scope of the infections in a joint phone call with Microsoft's assistant general counsel to its Digital Crimes Unit, Richard Boscovich. "The data we have shows that the infections were extremely global, with the largest number of users in the United States," Thakur said.
Microsoft, Symantec shutter another botnet | Security & Privacy - CNET News
Microsoft and security software maker Symantec have revealed that they collaborated on the take-down of a botnet that had infected hundreds of thousands of computers.
By stopping the botnet, infected computers were reportedly unable to search the Internet.According to the story as first reported by Reuters, this is the first time that the companies which stopped the botnet directly warned people who had infected computers and offered them clean-up tools.
The botnet, called Bamital, is the sixth one that that Microsoft has received a court order to stop since 2010 and the second that it has worked with Symantec to halt. Last week, the companies asked for a court approval to shut it down, reported Reuters.
Vikram Thakur, principal security response manager at Symantec, explained the scope of the infections in a joint phone call with Microsoft's assistant general counsel to its Digital Crimes Unit, Richard Boscovich. "The data we have shows that the infections were extremely global, with the largest number of users in the United States," Thakur said.
Microsoft, Symantec shutter another botnet | Security & Privacy - CNET News