Botnet runners start their own ISPs

Cory Doctorow 10:15 pm Mon Dec 21, 2009

Botnet and malware creeps are setting up their own ISPs, with their own IP blocks, so that spamfighters don't have anyone to complain to when they run them to ground:

"It's gotten completely out of hand. The bad guys are going to some local registries in Europe and getting massive amounts of IP space and then they just go to a hosting provider and set up their own data centers," said Alex Lanstein, senior security researcher at FireEye, an antimalware and anti-botnet vendor. "It takes one more level out of it: You own your own IP space and you're your own ISP at that point.

"If there's a problem, who are you going to talk to? It's a different ball game now. These guys are buying their own data centers. These LIRs and RIRs aren't going to push back if you say you need a /24 or /16. They're not the Internet police," Lanstein said…

"This is part of the problem that's causing the IPv4 shortage," Lanstein said, referring to the imminent exhaustion of the IPv4 address space, forecasted to occur in less than two years. "They stop paying the bills, the space gets null-routed and then it's a mess. There's clear fraud going on, but who can do something about it?"

Attackers Buying Own Data Centers for Botnets, Spam

(via /.)

Previously:

Turning bricks into batteries

Researchers have transformed ordinary red bricks into batteries by injecting gases that enable the material to store electricity . Developed by chemists at Washington University, each brick costs only $3… READ THE REST
Motorized backpack self-adjusts its motion to feel lighter

When you walk around carrying a heavy backpack, the movement of the pack against your body increases the amount of energy you need to take each step. Now, Huazhong University… READ THE REST
Finally revealed: identity of hacker blamed for stealing from 300+ companies and governments, in 44 countries

Unsealed court documents reveal the identity of Fxmsp, a hacker from Kazakhstan who is blamed for information theft from more than 300 companies and governments, in 44 different countries around… READ THE REST
Short Post, just one paragraph

Dessert cheesecake wafer bear claw fruitcake. Fruitcake chupa chups donut candy canes marzipan. Apple pie sweet roll tart chocolate cake macaroon marshmallow carrot cake gummi bears sweet. Pastry sugar plum… READ THE REST
Save 50% on a 1-year subscription to Dashlane's premium password manager

We all know vital information about ourselves and our private digital accounts can be compromised by cybercriminals. However, many would be frightened to know just how compromised they and their… READ THE REST
The Bite Helper removes the itch of a mosquito bite in seconds

While mosquitoes have certainly earned their title as the deadliest animal on earth, their impact on most of our lives is usually a lot less consequential. But even though they… READ THE REST