The Official Microsoft Blog – News and Perspectives from Microsoft : Cracking Down on Botnets

See the full post for more on Microsoft’s botnet battle

Botnets - networks of compromised computers controlled by hackers known as “bot-herders” - have become a serious problem in cyberspace.  Their proliferation has led some to worry that the botnet problem is unsolvable.  Under the control of a hacker or group of hackers, botnets are often used to conduct various attacks ranging from denial of service attacks on websites, to spamming, click fraud, and distribution of new forms of malicious software.

At Microsoft, we don’t accept the idea that botnets are a fact of life.  We are a founding member of the Botnet Task Force,  a public-private partnership to join industry and government in the fight against bots. Given the recent spread of botnets, we are getting even more creative and aggressive in the fight against botnets and all forms of cybercrime. That’s why I’m proud to announce that through legal action and technical cooperation with industry partners, we have executed a major botnet takedown of Waledac, a large and well-known “spambot.” 

The Official Microsoft Blog – News and Perspectives from Microsoft : Cracking Down on Botnets