Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it was in on the busting-up of Necurs: one of the world’s biggest, baddest, busiest botnets.
Some consider Necurs to be the largest botnet ever, with estimates from 2017 indicating that, at the time, it consisted of more than 6,000,000 infected computers. It’s metastasized in the last three years: Microsoft said that the malware has now infected more than nine million computers globally.
The majority of infected computers looked like they were in India, but almost every country in the world seemed to be affected. Necurs has been used to pump out multiple flavors of nastiness worldwide, with the notable exception of Russia: the malware deliberately avoided infecting computers set up to use a Russian keyboard.
Up until it temporarily went offline around December 2016, it was inflicting malware that included Locky ransomware. It got its wind knocked out for a few months, but when Necurs came back in March 2017, it started belching out a huge pump-and-dump scam.
Aug 24, 2009 The Malicious Software Removal Tool garners results. In September 2007, Microsoft added to the utility the ability to recognize the Storm bot. Overnight the size of the Storm botnet. At this point, the infected computer (often called a zombie) will do nothing more except periodically check for instructions from the control computer. Over time, more and more computers are recruited to the incipient botnet until it may contain tens of thousands of zombies, but they don’t raise suspicion as they appear to be doing nothing. Mar 30, 2016 By definition a botnet is a herd of slave computers, often referred to as zombies, that are under control of a botnet operator that runs or controls the C&C (command and control) server(s). Botnets are being used for multiple tasks including: denial-of-service attacks ( DDOS ), spreading spam, bitcoin mining, clickfraud and stealing personal.
In its blog post, Microsoft said that, along with partners, it’s been spending the past eight years tracking and planning to knock the knees off Necurs. Microsoft says that coordinated legal and technical steps to disrupt the network of zombified computers will…
Macos Botnet Zombie Check Software Checks
…help to ensure the criminals behind this network are no longer able to use key elements of its infrastructure to execute cyberattacks.
Microsoft says its Digital Crimes Unit, along with BitSight and others in the security community, first observed the Necurs botnet in 2012. Besides Locky and the pump-and-dump scam, Necurs has also been used by crooks to distribute the GameOver Zeus banking Trojan; fake pharmaceutical spam email and Russian dating scams.
Unsurprisingly, given that it’s tiptoed around computers using Russian keyboards in the past, Necurs is thought to be operated by Russian crooks. Besides the ransomware and the spam, the botnet has also been used as an attack dog, sent to jump on other computers on the internet and to steal credentials for online accounts, people’s personally identifiable information (PII), and other confidential data.
Microsoft says that Necurs’ operators also sell or rent access to their zombie computers to other crooks – what’s known as a botnet-for-hire service. The botnet has also been used to distribute financially targeted malware and cryptomining. It also has the capability of being used to launch a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. Its operators haven’t flipped the switch on that – yet. They could activate that capability at any time, Microsoft says.
Necurs has been a powerful force of yuck: Microsoft says that during one 58-day period, its staff watched as one Necurs-infected computer sent a total of 3.8 million spam emails to over 40.6 million potential victims.
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The trick was to grab it by its algorithm. Microsoft says it’s been heading up activities that will keep the crooks behind Necurs from registering new domains to execute attacks in the future – a feat that was accomplished by analyzing how Necurs systematically generates new domains through an algorithm.
From its post:
We were then able to accurately predict over six million unique domains that would be created in the next 25 months. Microsoft reported these domains to their respective registries in countries around the world so the websites can be blocked and thus prevented from becoming part of the Necurs infrastructure. By taking control of existing websites and inhibiting the ability to register new ones, we have significantly disrupted the botnet.
Microsoft also had help from the courts: on 5 March, the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York issued an order enabling the company to seize the US-based infrastructure Necurs uses to distribute malware and infect computers.
The next step is to partner with ISPs to scrub Necurs malware off of victimized computers: an effort that also involves partnering with law enforcement, government Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), ISPs and government agencies. Microsoft says it’s working with domain registries, government CERTs and law enforcement in Mexico, Colombia, Taiwan, India, Japan, France, Spain, Poland and Romania, among others.
Want to make sure you’re free of malware? Microsoft suggests you head over to its Safety Scanner: a tool that helps to remove malware from Windows systems. Sophos also has its free Virus Removal Tool, as well as free tools for protecting both Windows and Mac systems.
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Can you imagine the damage one talented cybercriminal can do? Now think about what they can achieve with an army of infected computers at hand. In fact, these virtual robot armies are real, and they’re called botnets.
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In this article, I’ll show you what a botnet is and how to remove the botnet virus from your Mac. Let’s go!
What is a botnet virus?
A botnet (“robot” + “network”) is not a virus itself, but a network of infected computers controlled by an attacker, or botmaster, remotely. Also known as bots or zombies, these computers are connected to one criminal system. The biggest problem is that the users are not always aware their devices are compromised.
The botnet is the powerhouse behind some of the worst hackers attacks. Generally, such armies of zombie computers target to:
- Deliver a DDoS attack on a large-scale
- Send tons of junk emails
- Generate cryptocurrency mining
- Create fake web traffic to drive revenue
- Spread ransomware
- Be rented out or sold to other criminals
Windows phone app for mac 10.6.8. Unlike other types of malware, the botnet's goal is not to steal your data or squeeze money from you (though it can do that too). Hackers are more likely to exploit your Mac for smaller tasks, such as sending spam. When thousands of devices perform the same task, all at once, the outcome is disastrous for the target of the attack.
How did the botnet virus get into my computer?
Trojan virus is the secret weapon used to infect and recruit new devices into the botnet. Hackers trick users into downloading the malware, disguising it as a seemingly legitimate app or document. The culprit may look like:
- Fake virus alert — clicking it starts the installation of the real malware.
- Email attachment like an invoice, either from a known or unknown sender.
- Freeware downloaded from unreliable sources.
Once the malicious file gets into a device, the botmaster takes it under their remote control.
Computers are not the only devices vulnerable to the botnet. Even appliances, gaming consoles, security cameras, or other home devices with an internet connection could get infected by the botnet.
Macos Botnet Zombie Check Software Checking
How to get rid of the botnet virus?
Botnets can be extremely difficult to find and eradicate without anti-malware software. The good option is CleanMyMac X, which deals with Mac-specific viruses. It also has additional features, like System Junk and Maintenance, which help to keep Mac in good condition.
Here’s how botnet virus removal looks like with CleanMyMac X:
- Grab your copy of CleanMyMac X (for free, here).
- Launch the app and choose Malware Removal from the sidebar.
- Hit Scan to let the tool check your Mac for all kinds of vulnerabilities.
- If it finds anything suspicious, press Remove. That’s all!
Macos Botnet Zombie Check Software Check In
Enable real-time protection for your Mac to stay protected even without running a malware scan. Go to the CleanMyMac X menu > Protection and check the box next to “Enable real-time monitor.”
How to avoid getting into the botnets
Zombies are real, and your Mac might become one of them. You don’t want to have a slow and glitching computer beyond your control, right? Here are a few security tips to protect your MacBook from security threats:
Macos Botnet Zombie Check Software Check List
- Always keep your operating system and software up-to-date to patch any weak points.
- Never open emails or download attachments from unknown sources.
- Don’t click suspicious links and pop-ups.
- Ignore manipulative messages, such as fake alerts telling there is an issue with your computer.
- Use apps that are either from the App Store or notarized by Apple.
- Be careful about the websites you visit.
The botnet is a network of compromised devices controlled by cybercriminals. They create botnets to perform a variety of malicious tasks, including DDoS attacks, cryptocurrency mining, and spamming. Your computer could be a part of the botnet, and you won’t be aware of that. But with a strong anti-malware tool, you can catch any malicious code on the spot. Try out CleanMyMac X to be on the safe side.