Microsoft has said that its Digital Crimes Unit has freed at least two million PCs from one of the world’s largest cybercrime rings.
HumanIPO reported earlier this month the operation targeting cybercriminals accused of draining over US$500 million from banks around the globe, commonly referred to as the Citadel Botnets.
The operation was carried out in over 80 countries with the aim of bringing down 1,400 malicious computer networks, with the majority of the computers traced to the United States, Europe and Hong Kong.
Assistant general counsel with the Digital Crimes Unit Richard Domingues Boscovich told Reuters the number could even be higher, with the figures merely a conservative estimate.
“We definitely have liberated at least two million PCs globally. That is a conservative estimate. We feel confident that we really got most of the ones that we were after. It was a very, very successful disruptive action,” he said.
The unit could not however give a number on the estimated Citadel Botnets still in operation, with Microsoft saying it was working with partners to determine the exact number.The identities of the ringleaders are also yet to be discovered.
The leader – going by the alias Aquabox – is believed to operate from Eastern Europe alongside other botnet operators who run servers at data hosting centres situated all over the world.
The Citadel Botnets remain amongst the biggest cyber rings to date, having targeted financial institutions all over the world, ranging from credit unions to global banks.
HumanIPO reported earlier this month the operation targeting cybercriminals accused of draining over US$500 million from banks around the globe, commonly referred to as the Citadel Botnets.
The operation was carried out in over 80 countries with the aim of bringing down 1,400 malicious computer networks, with the majority of the computers traced to the United States, Europe and Hong Kong.
Assistant general counsel with the Digital Crimes Unit Richard Domingues Boscovich told Reuters the number could even be higher, with the figures merely a conservative estimate.
“We definitely have liberated at least two million PCs globally. That is a conservative estimate. We feel confident that we really got most of the ones that we were after. It was a very, very successful disruptive action,” he said.
The unit could not however give a number on the estimated Citadel Botnets still in operation, with Microsoft saying it was working with partners to determine the exact number.
The identities of the ringleaders are also yet to be discovered. The leader – going by the alias Aquabox – is believed to operate from Eastern Europe alongside other botnet operators who run servers at data hosting centres situated all over the world.
The Citadel Botnets remain amongst the biggest cyber rings to date, having targeted financial institutions all over the world, ranging from credit unions to global banks.
