Microsoft Names Reputed Head of Kelihos Botnet

wiredmikey writes with an update on Microsoft's takedown of the Kelihos botnet. From the article: "Microsoft is not just taking down botnets; it is taking them down and naming names. In an amended complaint [PDF] filed Monday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Microsoft named a man from St. Petersburg, Russia, as the alleged head of the notorious Kelihos botnet. Naming names can be a risky business. Previously, Microsoft alleged Dominique Alexander Piatti, dotFREE Group SRO and several unnamed 'John Does' owned a domain cz.cc and used cz.cc to register other subdomains used to operate and control the Kelihos botnet. However, the company later absolved Piatti of responsibility when investigators found neither he nor his business was controlling the subdomains used to host Kelihos. Whether naming Sabelnikov – who, according to Krebs on Security, once worked as a senior system developer and project manager for Russian antivirus vendor Agnitum, will have the same effect as naming the Koobface gang remains to be seen. Though Kelihos has remained defunct since the takedown last year, the malware is still on thousands of computers."

So, wait.

[willaien]

Sabelnikov – who, according to Krebs on Security, once worked as a senior system developer and project manager for Russian antivirus vendor Agnitum

Does this lend credence to the conspiracy theory that antivirus vendors are, in some way, behind the very viruses they're supposed to remove?

WTF? Absolved of crime by Microsoft?

[rohan972]

However, the company later absolved Piatti of responsibility when investigators found ...

I hope that if I get accused of any crimes that Microsoft absolves me. After they complete their investigation, of course.

Holy shit.