Microsoft creates Zombie network
Posted by Matthew on Sunday October 30, 2005 @09:01PM
from the Night-of-the-living-DOS dept.
Matthew writes: In an attempt to catch spammers, Microsoft has created a zombie network designed to be attacked and infiltrated by hackers. The network, consisting of 500 million consumer and business grade computers, was specially infected with “Microsoft Windows”—software explicitly designed to attract hackers and allow them to easily compromise the machines.
A Microsoft spokesman explains: “We take typical computers and convince their owners (we call them Zombies) to install Windows. Once the machines have been thoroughly compromised, we take three or four of them and track down the people controlling them. This allows us to prosecute those individuals, thus making the Internet safer for everyone.”