Koobface servers closed down
Servers running the Koobface botnet's C&C centre have been taken down, but the operators have already earned over $2 million from the malicious network.


The Koobface botnet took a serious hit this weekend as servers hosting its command and control (C&C) centre were taken down.
The main C&C centre was located on servers based at UK hosting company Coreix.
Alan Dean, financial director at Coreix, confirmed the company had suspended services to three servers on Friday as part of an investigation into the Koobface gang.
"Those investigations are ongoing. We therefore do not wish to make any further statement at the moment which might, even in some small way, impact on those investigations," Dean told IT PRO.
"We stress our commitment to working with police to bring the perpetrators of crime to justice and to removing any sites or services which breach any laws or the terms of our Acceptable Use Policy."
Between June 2009 and June 2010, Koobface was able to earn its operators $2 million (1.24 million) as it forced victims to download malware and then help carry out click fraud, according to research undertaken by the Information Warfare Monitor.
This click fraud would generate funds through pay-per-click and pay-per-install schemes, the report found.
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Infected computers were forced to fake clicks on ads or install buttons. Every time a click was faked, money would be handed to the operators from other members of affiliate programmes.
Tom Brewster is currently an associate editor at Forbes and an award-winning journalist who covers cyber security, surveillance, and privacy. Starting his career at ITPro as a staff writer and working up to a senior staff writer role, Tom has been covering the tech industry for more than ten years and is considered one of the leading journalists in his specialism.
He is a proud alum of the University of Sheffield where he secured an undergraduate degree in English Literature before undertaking a certification from General Assembly in web development.
-
Asus ZenScreen Fold OLED MQ17QH review
Reviews A stunning foldable 17.3in OLED display – but it's too expensive to be anything more than a thrilling tech demo
By Sasha Muller
-
How the UK MoJ achieved secure networks for prisons and offices with Palo Alto Networks
Case study Adopting zero trust is a necessity when your own users are trying to launch cyber attacks
By Rory Bathgate
-
Seized database helps Europol snare botnet customers in ‘Operation Endgame’ follow-up sting
News Europol has detained several people believed to be involved in a botnet operation as part of a follow-up to a major takedown last year.
By Emma Woollacott
-
Horabot campaign targeted businesses for more than two years before finally being discovered
News The newly-discovered Horabot botnet has attacked companies in the accounting, investment, and construction sectors in particular
By Ross Kelly
-
Brand-new Emotet campaign socially engineers its way from detection
News This latest resurgence follows a three-month hiatus and tricks users into re-enabling dangerous VBA macros
By Ross Kelly
-
Latest Meta GDPR fine brings 12-month total to more than €1 billion
News Meta was issued with two hefty GDPR fines for “forcing” users to consent to data processing
By Ross Kelly
-
"Unacceptable" data scraping lands Meta a £228m data protection fine
News The much-awaited decision follows the scraping of half a billion users' data and received unanimous approval from EU regulators
By Rory Bathgate
-
Microsoft says “it’s just too difficult” to effectively disrupt ransomware
News The company details its new approach to combatting cyber crime as the underground industry drains $6 trillion from the global economy
By Connor Jones
-
Meta notifies around 1 million Facebook users of potential compromise through malicious apps
News The vast majority of apps targeting iOS users appeared to be genuine apps for managing business functions such as advertising and analytics
By Connor Jones
-
Beating the bad bots: Six ways to identify and block spam traffic
In-depth Not all traffic is good. Learn how to prevent bad bots from overrunning your website
By Sead Fadilpašić