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Dutch police behead Bredolab botnet

Server slaughter

Dutch police and net security organisations have teamed up to dismantle many of the command and control servers associated with the Bredolab botnet.

The Bredolab Trojan, which has spyware components that allow criminals to capture bank login details and other sensitive information from compromised machines, has infected an estimated 30 million computers worldwide since its emergence in July 2009.

Infected machines remain pox-ridden but the command system associated with the cybercrime network has been decapitated, following an operation led by hi-tech police in The Netherlands.

The Dutch Forensic Institute NFI, net security firm Fox-IT and GOVCERT.NL (the Dutch computer emergency response team) assisted in the operation which involved the takedown of 143 servers associated with the botnet. Fox-IT used the botnet itself to alert infected victims that there was a problem with their machines, directing them to a notice here.

The command systems were hired by unidentified cybercrooks from hosting provider LeaseWeb, which co-operated in the dismantling of the botnet.

A statement (in English) by the Dutch National Crime Squad on the takedown operation can be found here. ®

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