New Mega-Botnet Discovered 257
yahoi writes "According to the DarkReading article, 'Researchers have discovered a major botnet operating out of the Ukraine that has infected 1.9 million machines, including large corporate and government PCs mainly in the US. The botnet, which appears to be larger than the infamous Storm botnet was in its heyday, has infected machines from some 77 government-owned domains — 51 of which are in the US government. Researchers from Finjan who found the botnet say it's controlled by six individuals, and includes machines in major banks.'"
Can Help? (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe this isn't such a bad thing after all.
Big PC's!!! (Score:5, Funny)
large corporate and government PCs
So small ones are mostly safe.
Quick! (Score:5, Funny)
How do you tell if you were/are infected? (Score:1, Funny)
Do they email you?
Re:Big PC's!!! (Score:3, Funny)
Duh. Small PCs make small packets, which are far less likely to clog the tubes.
My question is, since when is 1.9 million PCs a megabotnet?
A botnet by definition needs at least four PCs (since otherwise it's a botpoint, botlinesegment, or bottriangle -- you can hardly catch fish with a "net" without cross-segments, which you need at least four nodes to make). So a megabotnet needs (1 million)*4 == 4 million PCs.
Sheesh.
New Mega-Botnet! (Score:5, Funny)
Now with more Bot to boost your immune system!
Re:Quick! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Quick! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Big PC's!!! (Score:3, Funny)
Actually it's 4194304
Re:How do you tell if you were/are infected? (Score:2, Funny)
no, they don't email me. they email you actually. thats why you get so much spam.
Re:Big PC's!!! (Score:5, Funny)
Wouldn't that be a mebibotnet.
Mebibotnet, Mebibotnet... Now that just rolls off the tongue!
Virus devastates millions of complacent idiots (Score:4, Funny)
A computer worm that spreads through low security networks, memory sticks, and PCs without the latest security updates is posing a growing threat to users blitheringly stupid enough [today.com] to still think Windows is not ridiculously and unfixably insecure by design.
Despite many years' warnings that Microsoft regards security as a marketing problem and has only ever done the absolute minimum it can get away with, millions of users who click on any rubbish they see in the hope of pictures of female tennis stars having wardrobe malfunctions still fail to believe that taking Windows out on the Internet is like standing bent over in the street in downtown Gomorrah, naked, arse greased up and carrying a flashing neon sign saying "COME AND GET IT."
Microsoft cannot believe people have not applied the patch for the problem, just because they keep trying to use Windows Genuine Advantage to break legally-bought systems. "Don't they trust us?" sobbed marketing marketer Steve Ballmer.
Millions of smug Mac users and the four hundred smug Linux users pointed and laughed, having long given up trying to convince their Windows-using friends to see sense. "There's a reason the Unix system on Mac OS X is called Darwin," said appallingly smug Mac user Arty Phagge.
"It can't be stupid if everyone else runs it," said Windows user Joe Beleaguered, who had lost all his email, business files, MP3s and porn again. "Macs cost more than Windows PCs."
"Yes," said Phagge. "Yes, they do."
Ubuntu Linux developer Hiram Nerdboy frantically tried to get our attention about something or other, but we can't say we care.
Re:Clean up botnets (Score:3, Funny)
> The big papers detailing botnets never provide enough details to know
> if *I* screwed up the internet.
You did and we'll never forgive you! :-)
Re:Big PC's!!! (Score:3, Funny)
That was a complete tongue-in-cheek post...
Wish I could *whoosh* the moderator(s).
Re:Big PC's!!! (Score:4, Funny)
>My question is, since when is 1.9 million PCs a megabotnet?
Look sonny, in my day, we had to carry our megabotnets uphill both ways, in the snow, and we didn't complain, and the master nodes sent out instructions with punch cards that were sent via carrier pigeon. A million computers was something we doubted any deity could create, but we were wrong. I don't think I have to tell you to get off my lawn. Wait, you're still there? GET OFF MY F*CKING LAWN. Damn kids.
Re:Can Help? (Score:5, Funny)
Lynx to the rescue! Lynx should be the only browser allowed on secure networks. Hehe.
Re:Clean up botnets (Score:4, Funny)
I am on it, you see I have this great product called Antivirus 2009, don't worry, I have sent out over 2 billion emails detailing its advantages to people.
Also, I have these pills...
Re:Wow (Score:3, Funny)
Thats because its normally assumed ;)
Re:Can Help? (Score:5, Funny)
Lynx to the rescue! Lynx should be the only browser allowed on secure networks. Hehe.
Too bad you just got owned by the buffer overflow the hackers found in the VT100 emulator library.
Re:Big PC's!!! (Score:3, Funny)
That's cuz you're state is so damned small. It's an insecurity thing. (See how I got back on topic?)
He is Legend... (Score:1, Funny)
Mega Botnet?!?!
He is Legend.
Re:Can Help? (Score:5, Funny)
Wow! I'm glad I have Windows!
Only six? (Score:4, Funny)
Researchers from Finjan who found the botnet say it's controlled by six individuals,
We should be able to shut this one down with one clip in a .45.
Re:How Does The Infection Happen (Score:2, Funny)
Anybody have any idea how this type of infection happens? I.e does a user simply visit the site,
Exactly!
IE. A user simply visits a site....(fixed the punctuation for you).
Re:Only six? (Score:3, Funny)
-1 inefficient, you should only need a revolver for this job.