Botnet computers are comandeered by hackers to send spam, steal
identities and spread malware.
Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global
network of virus, spyware and spam analysis center, have reminded
organizations of the threat posed by zombie networks after a
teenager was accused of being at the center of an international
cybercrime network.
18-year-old Owen Thor Walker, a computer programmer from
Hamilton, New Zealand, has been charged with two counts of
accessing a computer for dishonest purposes, damaging with a
computer system, possessing software for committing crimes, and two
counts of accessing a computer system without permission. If found
guilty, Walker could face up to 10 years in jail.
When arrested
in November 2007, it was alleged that Walker - known by his online
handle 'AKILL' - was the boss of a gang that infected 1.3 million
computers around the world, stealing banking and credit card
information.
"Hackers can use zombie networks of innocent people's computers
to send spam, manipulate stock prices, steal identities and attack
company websites. These botnets are one of the biggest security
problems faced by the internet today, and are a powerful weapon in
the hands of an experienced cybercriminal," said Graham Cluley, senior
technology consultant at Sophos. "Some people may feel that this
case is a long way away because it's happening in New Zealand, but
Sophos tracks thousands of compromised computers around the world
every hour, doing the bidding of remote hackers. It is essential
that computer users put in place strong defences to properly
protect their PCs."
Walker appeared in Thames Magistrate's Court in northern New
Zealand, and was released on bail. News of the charges against him
follow the unconnected arrest last
week of 17 young people in Quebec alleged to have infected up
to a million computers in 100 countries around the world.
Last month Sophos published
its annual Security Threat Report, which discussed how
financially-motivated cybercriminals use zombie botnets in their
pursuit of money.
Zombie computers - are your PCs under someone else's
control?
Zombie computers can be used by criminal hackers to launch
distributed denial-of-service attacks, spread spam messages or to
steal confidential information. SophosLabs estimates that more than
99 percent of all spam today originates from zombie computers.
As spammers become more aggressive, collaborating with virus
writers to create armies of zombie computers, legitimate
organizations with hijacked computers are being identified as a
source of spam. This not only harms the organization's reputation,
but can also cause the company's email to be blocked by others.
Sophos ZombieAlert™
advises service subscribers when any computer on their network is
found to have sent spam to Sophos's extensive global network of
spam traps, and provides rapid notification to customers if their
Internet Protocol (IP) addresses are listed in public Domain Name
Server Block Lists (DNSBL). This information helps customers
locate, disinfect, and protect these systems from future
attacks.
More than 100 million users in 150 countries rely on Sophos as the best protection against complex threats and data loss. Sophos is committed to providing security and data protection solutions that are simple to manage, deploy and use and that deliver the industry's lowest total cost of ownership. Sophos offers award-winning encryption, endpoint security, web, email, and network access control solutions backed by SophosLabs - a global network of threat intelligence centers. With more than two decades of experience, Sophos is regarded as a leader in security and data protection by top analyst firms and has received many industry awards.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com.