Pirated Windows 7 RC builds botnet
A pirated version of Windows 7 Release Candidate infected with a Trojan horse has created a botnet with tens of thousands of bots under its control, according to researchers at security firm Damballa.
The software, which first appeared on April 24, spread as quickly as several hundred new bots per hour, and controlled roughly 27,000 bots by the time Damballa took over the network's command and control server on May 10, the firm said Tuesday.
The pirated software was spread via popular piracy sites and online forums, Damballa said.
The software is primarily designed to download and install other malicious packages under a "pay-per-install" scheme, under which the botmasters are paid based on the number of other pieces of malware they cause to be installed, Damballa said.
Infected installations are continuing to appear at a rapid rate, according to the company.
"We continue to see new installs happening at a rate of about 1,600 per day with broad geographic distribution," Tripp Cox, Damballa's vice president of engineering, said in a statement. "Since our takedown (of the command and control server), any new installs of this pirated distribution of Windows 7 RC are inaccessible by the botmaster."
However, the botmaster still controls the existing installations, Damballa said. The infected systems are mainly concentrated in the U.S., with 10 percent, and the Netherlands and Italy, with 7 percent each.
Windows 7 RC has been used as a lure by other malware distributors since its launch on May 5, according to security experts. On Monday, Trend Micro said it found the Trojan horse TROJ_DROPPER.SPX masquerading as a copy of the release candidate.
Botnets are one of the most serious threats on the Internet, according to security experts, and are typically used to carry out denial-of-service attacks or phishing schemes or to send junk mail. Last month, SecureWorks researcher Joe Stewart suggested that technology was not enough to stop botnets, arguing that the IT industry should look to new law-enforcement measures.
The legitimate version of Windows 7 RC is available from Microsoft's Web site.
Matthew Broersma of ZDNet UK reported from London.
It was modified (to include a trojan) and then made available via torrents.
Perhaps 'pirating' isn't the correct word, technically speaking, but that's just arguing semantics. It's basically malware, and anyone downloading it from these alternate channels is pretty dumb, considering it's freely available from MS.
Yeah, except MS's download uses a download manager that lets you resume as well...
Second, anyone who installs this instead of the clean original from Microsoft is an idiot, and deserves whatever they get.
Co-sign!
A new low!
Windows Genuine Advantage is now a name that everyone knows and hates, so in Win7 they are giving it a new name.
So you're saying its not possible to create a Linux distribution with malicious content?
The reality was if there was a demand and consumers used it: a malicious version would exist.
Unfortunately Linux is fragmented currently (too many distrubtions) and too confusing for mum and dad consumers.
No, that's not what I was saying. I was basically saying that Linux, Solaris, and BSD are viable alternatives to Windows and negate the necessity of buying a Macintosh. I agree that they are not nearly as easy to install as Windows or Mac OS X, but how many moms and dads will do that anyway. Most would pay someone to work on a Windows machine with problems, so why not just pay someone to install Linux or one of the other alternatives instead? Or when buying a new computer, buy one with Linux or Solaris or BSD pre-installed. Either way, you would be done with Windows.
well no. None of those things run Word for instance, or Photoshop, or World of Warcraft. A bit pointless then dont you think? Unless all you are doing is surfing pron.
Since is Word the only reason to use a computer? There are other word processors out there, some arguably easier to use and just as capable. And who owns a $699 copy of Photoshop? Really, the average computer owner doesn't. There are open source, free pieces of software and commercial software out there that is just as capable as anything from Adobe or Microsoft. I cite, as an example, Open Office and Abiword as alternatives to Microsoft Office and Word. And I cite GIMP as an alternative to Photoshop. These are just a couple of examples. There are many, many others.
Open Office is indeed an "alternative" to MS Office, but not as capable.
That said, a lot of people choose Windows over the alternatives because they want to know they have growing room. As you learn to do more with your computer, your needs grow. I suppose there COULD be a Linux equivalent to NCH Debut, but I'm not aware of one. And also, I run a lot of apps off a flashdrive. No Linux distro can handle that kind of strain on USB (don't know for sure, but I'm told that the Mac can't either). And then there's the problem of getting a distro to boot on my AMD64 laptop, get online with my Broadcom wireless chip, and utilize the flatbed scanner on my PSC unit (not just the printer).
No Linux distro is even close to being a full replacement for Windows, which is why a lot of Linux users dual-boot Windows. Macs can do just about anything Windows can do, but I actually find Windows to be more stable in the hands of a savvy user. It's also cheaper.
Most people don't "choose Windows", they have it thrust upon them.
The majority of people will only use a minority of Microsoft Office's features a minority of the time. Those features are fully covered by just about every word processing and desktop publishing program out there.
Why would you regularly use a flash drive to run programs? Are you administering a lot of different machines, one at a time? Are you using other people's computers and carrying your apps with you? Regardless, I see no problem with doing that on Mac OS X, I have run programs straight from the USB drive before. And I see no problem with doing that from Linux either. In fact, you can (and I have) have Ubuntu 9 on a flash drive. Whenever I have to use a strange machine, I simply reboot the machine with my copy of Ubuntu in the USB port. When I'm done, I reboot the machine and take my OS and my files with me.
You say you can't get a "distro" to boot on your AMD64 computer? Try Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Xubuntu 9.04. I'd be willing to bet that your Broadcom Wifi will work. You might have to use the Updater, but it's completely automated. With Ubuntu 9 on my computer, I use the features of my Epson all in one all the time. No problem. LInux has a few rough edges, but it is just as capable as Windows, if not more so. Hell, Windows can't even read HFS disks without a commercial product. And WIndows is nowhere near as stable as Linux or Mac OS X, no matter who the user is, and that's a fact. Cheaper? How is Windows, a commercial product cheaper than Linux? Linux, Solaris, OpenSolaris, BSD, etc., are all FREE. It doesn't get any cheaper than that.
The reality was if there was a demand and consumers used it: a malicious version would exist.
Unfortunately Linux is fragmented currently (too many distrubtions) and too confusing for mum and dad consumers."
Linux is infinitely easier to install and use than Windows is.
There are not too many distributions, there is some overlap but each fills a niche. You are just accustomed to MS telling you what you need.
Really! This is one article where they could get away with defending winblows (it's not an OS flaw, it a hacked distro!), yet they're nowhere to be found.
My kindergarten teacher couldn't finish class on time because her Mac was one of those botnet macs reported earlier = ) jkk
What do you guys want me to say, so they pirated it and got ... zombiefied. Never said Windows was the greatest thing in the world you know. In fact I've said multiple times that I would prefer an alternative ... just that Apple is far from that alternative.
Still <3 that you guys care = P
[CNET editor's note: Personal attack deleted.]
What a stupid comment!
From small embedded devices to supercomputers Linux owns the market share for many useful things. On the desktop, I watch movies, write technical documents, play windows games, write lots of code, polish presentations, so some graphical editing, and much more.
Do you have an Nvidia card? If so, you are probably running Linux as many of their cards run an internal custom Linux.
WMP files runs just fine in Linux.
So windows 7 will allow the malicious program to download and install programs without user knowledge or interaction? Interesting.
I guess Windows can't even use "security through obscurity"... no matter what you do.. swiss cheese is swiss cheese.
Your comemnts would need to be applied to Apple as well if you want to be taken seriously.
And I'm sure almost everyone will agree on what a magnificent troll you are!
Death to Warez!! LOL
There's NO reason these people couldn't wait the little extra time by downloading via Microsoft's provided servers.
On the other hand, these users could be SOL when it comes to any sort of WindowsUpdate stuff - which in my opinion, would be kind of stupid to miss out on.
In the end, the smart ones will purchase a legit version of the OS. Some will revert back to whatever they were running and others well, will more than likely find a hacked version of the retail once available.
Hackers broke into the University of California at Berkeley's health services center computer and potentially stole the personal information of more than 160,000 students, alumni, and others, the university announced Friday.
A pirated version of Windows 7 Release Candidate infected with a Trojan horse has created a botnet with tens of thousands of bots under its control, according to researchers at security firm Damballa.
Need i say more?
I understand why people torrent Ubuntu -- The official build is faster and less stressful on the servers.. but why an unofficial version of Win7?
- Written from Windows 7 :-)
I'm trying to remember the last hole Linux had.... Or for that matter, Bsd, or Solaris...
And that it is a fact that current Linux versions have far more security holes and vulnerabilities than current Windows versions and on average Linux takes far longer to get a patch released for...
In fact, I haven't even read your comment yet :)
In fact, I haven't even read your comment yet :)
Most people had the option to but a computer with XP if they really wanted
- by Lumiseon May 15, 2009 10:53 AM PDT
- If someone is actually going to download a NEW Microsoft OS product from a site that ISN'T Microsoft...well...then they deserve to get viruses/whatever.
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