Monitored Alarm Systems

If you 'the kind of person authorized to re ActiveX scripts willy-nilly, or open attachments via e-mail was to you by strangers, the world is much safer than they were two months ago. Don 't get us wrong - if you' re the kind of person, your computer is still going to end up overrun with malware, but at least it's done won 't in a core flood zombie. The FBI 's "Operation Adeona", the botnet has continued on his head, and while botnet operators are a sober bunch, the FBI' the head is obviously more difficult.

Adeona occurred before mid-April, an estimated 2.3 million computers were part of Core Flood 's botnet Computer Word reports . The operation began when a judge gave the FBI permission to use the botnet 's command and control servers to use and replace it with one of their own. In this way not only the source of the infection was stopped, but when zombie computers checked in for orders, said the FBI 's servers, they are tight to start instead of every shameful attacks from the Internet.

Security companies worked hand in hand with the FBI shut down Core Flood, while the replacement server has been established and the botnet was docile, sent anti-virus companies to detect files for core flooding. Federal tracked the results of the tag-team effort by monitoring the number of incoming calls from the Command Core Flood zombified computers.

Barely two months after the start of Adeona, joined the FBI after his replacement server, calling the operation a great success. The dummy server command received over 800,000 calls on the first day of operation, the inquiries now almost completely dried and are a fraction of the original number.

"On Tuesday, the government of the civil action when a federal judge permanently barred 10" John Doe "from the operating core Flood," Computer World says, brings an end to the quick - but effective - operation.

While Adeona didn 't completely wipe out the botnet Core Flood was beaten to the brink of death. Between operating and Adeona Microsoft 's most recent beat-down Spam-causing Rustock botnet, the appeal of running illegal hordes of zombie PCs in Internet crime circles are getting smaller.

Photo credit: eWeek