Microsoft exposes the botnet threat

What happens when you monitor the hostile traffic hitting 600 million computers globally, and then get a team of information security analysts to trawl through it? You get a detailed analysis of the world of the botnet, that's what.

Volume nine of Microsoft's Security Intelligence Report is, so the company claims, some of the most detailed research into the botnet threat ever conducted. On Patch Monday this week, we discuss some of the report's findings with Stuart Strathdee, chief security advisor for Microsoft Australia.

It turns out that the most common threats aren't those that get mainstream media coverage, like Conficker or Stuxnet, but slower-spreading malware like Win32/Rinecud and Win32/Alurean.

The conversation also includes a discussion of the proposal from Scott Charney, vice president of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing initiatives, that we should treat cybersecurity like a public health issue, and Strathdee's view that BYO Computing isn't necessarily the security problem that other information security experts spoke about in Patch Monday back in August.

Patch Monday also has Stilgherrian's random look at the week's IT news.

To leave an audio comment for Patch Monday, Skype to stilgherrian, or phone Sydney 02 8011 3733.

Running time: 23 minutes, 19 seconds