Two million password stealers fingered

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

http://www.techworld.com/security/news/index.cfm?newsID=101983

By Robert McMillan
IDG news service
23 June 2008

Microsoft's Malicious Software Removal Tool - a program that removes 
malware from Windows machines - detected password-stealing software from 
more than 2 million PCs in the first week after it was updated.

One password stealer, called Taterf, alone was detected on 700,000 
computers in the first day after the update. That's twice as many 
infections as were spotted during the entire month after Microsoft began 
detecting the notorious Storm Worm malware last September.

"These are ridiculous numbers of infections my friends, absolutely 
mind-boggling," said Matt McCormack, from Microsoft's Malware Response 
Centre.

Between 10 June and 17 June, Microsoft removed Taterf from about 1.3 
million machines, he said.

Microsoft's September detections seriously hobbled the Storm Worm 
botnet, once considered a top Internet threat.

[...]


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