Microsoft nukes Zeus malware from 275,000 Windows machines
Summary: One week after adding detections into its malicious software removal tool, Microsoft said it nuked Zeus (also called Zbot) 281,491 times from 274,873 computers.
Microsoft is claiming major success at cleaning the notorious Zeus crimeware trojan from infected Windows machines.
One week after adding detections into its malicious software removal tool, Microsoft said it nuked Zeus (also called Zbot) 281,491 times from 274,873 computers.
According to Redmond's Jeff Williams:
Of the 1,344,669 computers cleaned, this is about 1 in 5, a ratio that’s higher than we typically see even when accounting for the normal, first-month spike which results from adding a new family but not exceptionally so.
To put this in greater perspective the removals of Zbot are almost as many as the removals of the #2 and #3 malware families this month combined (Win32/Vundo and Win32/Bubnix respectively). Approximately 86 million computers have run this version of MSRT as we compile this data so we should expect this number to increase as the month continues.
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Talkback
Good!
Too little, too late
I usually don't have many positive things to say about Microsoft...
Let us hope
that the trend continues. MS tends to be painfully cautious at times.
???
RE: Microsoft nukes Zeus malware from 275,000 Windows machines
If I get up and throw out the trash without my wife nagging me. I am being both reactive (to the trash) and proactive in the eyes of my wife.
Wow, is reinfection rate that high?
Things are definitely NOT looking good for Microsoft.
Why not?
They're cleaning the computers. That is a good start, however Microsoft cannot protect the user from bad habits that get them infected in the first place.
bad habits like...
RE: Microsoft nukes Zeus malware from 275,000 Windows machines
RE: Microsoft nukes Zeus malware from 275,000 Windows machines
Exactly, ItsTheBottomLine. The bottom line is what matters the most
RE: Microsoft nukes Zeus malware from 275,000 Windows machines
1. Fix vulnerabilities when they're found.
Note: Contrary to what you would have the world believe, vulnerabilities are not something that happens to JUST Windows and Microsoft software, it happens to Apple, Linux distros, Adobe and any other major software package. It's just that since Microsoft and Windows have the lion's share of desktops, it's the one that gets attacked the most.
2. Educate users to NOT click the OK or YES button every time they see it, instead, do some research on the internet and find out if what they're approving is actually badness.
RE: Microsoft nukes Zeus malware from 275,000 Windows machines
BULL! The fact is that ANY OS can be compromised by malware, whether you are talking about Linux, OSX, or Windows.
It's time for you to acknowledge that and move on!
You keep on bashing on Microsoft for these infections, which could happen to ANY OTHER OS THAT IS AS POPULAR AS WINDOWS!
Also, how many of these machines were still running Windows XP, which should have been phased out by SMART corporations by now in favor of Windows 7, the hard-as-hell to infect new OS from Microsoft.
RE: Microsoft nukes Zeus malware from 275,000 Windows machines
[i]BULL! The fact is that ANY OS can be compromised by malware, whether you are talking about Linux, OSX, or Windows.[/i]
Well show us where they are.
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Linuxvirus
Now if you know anything these folks don't know about, I'm sure they'll be happy to hear from you.
;)
RE: Microsoft nukes Zeus malware from 275,000 Windows machines
RE: Microsoft nukes Zeus malware from 275,000 Windows machines
RE: Microsoft nukes Zeus malware from 275,000 Windows machines
Wow! You don't have a clue. Do you have any idea how many windows machines there are in this world? I have four! Plus, I believe the only ones counted would be the ones that are set up for automatic updates. Here it told here, on ZD Net, not many take this option, supposely for all the problems it supposely cause.
So, Here is my message: All of you people out there that are not taking advantage of automatic updates, you may be missing an oppurtunity you can no longer afford to miss, regardless of how many time opportunity knocks. Peace!
that high?
RE: Microsoft nukes Zeus malware from 275,000 Windows machines
More likely, some machines were infected in different user accounts, hence count more than once.