James Delahunty
24 Jun 2013 1:32
Microsoft revealed this week that its actions taken against Citadel botnets freed around 2 million PCs that made up the botnets.
On June 5, Microsoft was aided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in attempting to take down 1,400 malicious computer networks known as the Citadel Botnets by severing the access to infected machines. The operation, according to Microsoft, was a big success.
"We definitely have liberated at least 2 million PCs globally. That is a conservative estimate," Richard Domingues Boscovich, assistant general counsel with Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit, said in an interview.
"We feel confident that we really got most of the ones that we were after. It was a very, very successful disruptive action."
The ringleaders are still at large, while their identities are being probed. Boscovich said they believe the ringleader, known as "Aquabox," is in Eastern Europe.
As much as $500 million is alleged to have been stolen from bank accounts worldwide due to these malicious networks.