[ISN] Can we fight cyber crime like the Untouchables fought Capone?

http://fcw.com/articles/2010/09/13/cybererye-targeting-the-head-of-cybercrime.aspx

By William Jackson
FCW.com
Sept 13, 2010

There appears to be little relief in sight from the relentless onslaught 
of spam that continues to deliver malicious code and phishing lures to 
our inboxes day in and day out. According to Symantec's "State of Spam 
and Phishing Report" for August, spam made up more than 92 percent of 
e-mail last month. The percentage of spam has fluctuated from a low of 
about 79 percent in November to more than 95 percent, but it has held 
pretty steady around 90 percent for most of the past year.

But there might be a small patch of light on the horizon, coming from - 
of all places - the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of 
Virginia, where a judge has recommended that ownership of 276 Internet 
domains used by the Waledac botnet be turned over to Microsoft. If the 
judgment comes down from the court, it would effectively cut off the 
botnet's command and control network.

That action, part of Microsoft's Operation b49 to use existing federal 
law against organized cyber crime, will not by itself stop the 
criminals. Communications within the Waledac botnet have been 
effectively shut down since March, soon after Microsoft first went to 
court. But volumes of spam - one of the most effective means of 
delivering malware and opening doors for criminals - bounce back every 
time a botnet is taken down. However, the technique of attacking the 
criminals eventually could prove more effective than improving spam 
filters and antivirus engines.

[...]


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