FBI to Battle Zombie Horde

Thu Jun 14, 2007 11:03PM EDT

You may not know that your computer is sending spam, being used as a pawn in coordinated internet attacks, hosting illegal files, or otherwise part of the malware-distribution network known as the zombie horde. Some estimates peg the number of email spams sent each day at around 55 billion, the vast majority of which are sent by infected PCs, usually without any knowledge of it by their owner.

It's all part of what's known as a botnet, giant networks of malware-infected PCs that act as slaves to a master controller via the internet. These PCs, called zombies, are perhaps the biggest security threat on the internet today.

And now the FBI wants to do something about it. How? It's directly contacting a million PC owners to let them know what they ought to have known all along: That their computers are infected and are being hijacked for nefarious uses. The goal is to help track down the source of these infections and put the hackers responsible behind bars. "Operation Bot Roast" (love the name) has already led to the arrest of three scammers.

The feds have offered the same general advice that I do to those infected: Protect yourself against malware and viruses by using the appropriate security tools, and take extra precautions if you find your PC running slowly or sending emails you didn't create (check your Sent Items folder!).

LINK: FBI tries to fight zombie hordes