ZeroAccess began as a delivery network for other malware onto PCs it had successfully infected. Since then, it has evolved into a “clickfraud” platform that intercepts search requests from the user’s Web browser and injects fraudulent hyperlinks into the results returned from major search sites. Now, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit has recently moved with Europol, industry partners, and the FBI to take down the botnet which has taken over approximately 2 million PCs worldwide
On Thursday, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit, the legal and technical team that has driven the takedown of botnets such as Bamital and Nitol during the past year, announced that it has moved with Europol, industry partners, and the FBI to disrupt yet another search fraud botnet. The ZeroAccess botnet, also known as ZAccess or Siref, has taken over approximately 2 million PCs worldwide; Microsoft estimates that it has cost search engine advertisers on Google, Bing, and Yahoo over $2.7 million each month.