Microsoft opens new cybercrime centre to make the Web a safer place

December 20, 2013

Microsoft recently opened a new cybercrime centre on their Richmond campus. This world-class laboratory hosts a team of seasoned cybercrime investigators who are trying to stay one step ahead of the world’s worst Internet criminals.

This team have been involved in some notable successes in the past 12 months including helping to stop the Citadel botnet and bring down the spambot Rustock.

Zombie computers don’t eat your flesh but your cash

Citadel activated 5 million zombie computers across 90 countries. These were home and office based systems that had unwittingly become infected with malware. Once activated Citadel it recorded the keystrokes of the unsuspecting user, capturing passwords and other sensitive information. This was then passed back to the people who launched Citadel so that it could be sold onto crooks who could then empty bank accounts and buy goods online fraudulently.

Over 18 months Citadel stole half a billion dollars from businesses and individuals. So the FBI teamed up with Microsoft and bank investigators to stop it. Working together they managed to shut down 90% of the zombie computers.

Restraining order

Rustock was brought down by legal means. By asking a judge for a temporary restraining order against the spammers, they would have to show up in court to defend themselves. When they didn’t, Microsoft were able to take control of the hundreds of domains that the spammers were using to infect computers. They then notified the infected customers and gave them tools to clean their computers.

The majority of these infections for both botnets and spambots are caused by people downloading what can only be termed ‘dodgy’ free software or music. Although it looks a good deal, typically it contains a hidden danger that can cost thousands of pounds.

It has been estimated that there are nearly 400 million victims of cybercrime each year that costs consumers $113 billion. So to avoid becoming part of this statistic, be careful what you download.