Major botnet shut down, security firm says

PanARMENIAN.Net - A botnet which experts believe sent out 18% of the world's spam email has been shut down, a security firm said, according to BBC News.

Grum's control servers were mainly based in Panama, Russia and Ukraine.

Security company FireEye and spam-tracking service SpamHaus worked with local internet service providers (ISPs) to shut down the illegal network.

A botnet is a network of computers that has been hijacked by cybercriminals, usually by using malware.

"Grum's takedown resulted from the efforts of many individuals," wrote Atif Mushtaq, a security researcher with FireEye. "This collaboration is sending a strong message to all the spammers: Stop sending us spam. We don't need your cheap Viagra or fake Rolex."

FireEye collaborated with other experts in the worldwide security industry to apply pressure to local ISPs to suspend the illegal operation.

Mushtaq said more than 20,000 computers were still part of the botnet, but that without the active CnCs they would soon be rendered ineffective.

Grum's closure was an encouraging development in clamping down on botnets across the world, he said.