Microsoft Working With FBI, Interpol to Target Malware That Steals Online Ad Revenue
Just a day after likening the persistent threat to users from government surveillance to sophisticated malware comes news Microsoft is working with the government to target a particularly sophisticated malware program.
Microsoft Corp.'s digital crime unit has teamed up with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and its European counterpart to fight software that infected more than 2 million computers to steal revenue from online advertisers.
They're working to track down computers that have been taken over with the malicious software known as ZeroAccess or Sirefef, and get rid of the malware, Microsoft said in a statement. While the effort won't eliminate the threat, it should significantly reduce the fraud, which has cost online advertisers an estimated $2.7 million a month, the Redmond, Washington-based company said.
Microsoft's also announced new measures to protect user privacy from both malware and government.
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