Microsoft In Botnet Takedown

REDMOND: Software and services giant Microsoft and partners in 35 countries have linked up to bring down one of the largest global malware botnets known to date.

Called Necurs, the malware is believed to have infected more than nine million computers worldwide. 

The takedown effort came after Microsoft and industry partners broke Necurs’ domain generation algorithm, a component that generates random domain names.

FILED – 06 March 2017, Munich: The Microsoft logo can be seen on the facade of the Microsoft-Germany headquarters. US Technology company Microsoft to invest 1.1 billion dollars in Mexico over 5-year period. Photo: Matthias Balk/dpa

Necurs used generated domains to allow the botnet’s command-and-control servers to dispatch new commands to infected computers. The botnet forced one single Necurs-infected computer alone to send out nearly four million e-mails to more than 40 million victims.

The botnet was believed to be managed by Evil Corp, charged last year by US authorities over another attack.