Gameover Zeus, Cryptolocker Disruption, Pennsylvania 2023
GRIMY TIMES EXCLUSIVE: In a major blow to cybercrime, the Justice Department announced today that it has successfully disrupted the Gameover Zeus botnet and the malicious software known as Cryptolocker.
The disruption began in late May, when the Justice Department implemented a series of court-authorized measures to neutralize Gameover Zeus and Cryptolocker - two of the most destructive forms of malicious software in existence.
According to a status report filed with the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, the technical and legal measures undertaken to disrupt Gameover Zeus and Cryptolocker have proven successful, and significant progress has been made in remediating computers infected with Gameover Zeus.
The Justice Department reported that all or nearly all of the active computers infected with Gameover Zeus have been liberated from the criminals' control and are now communicating exclusively with the substitute server established pursuant to court order.
The Justice Department also reported that traffic data from the substitute server shows that remediation efforts by internet service providers and victims have reduced the number of computers infected with Gameover Zeus by 31 percent since the disruption commenced.
Cryptolocker has been neutralized by the disruption and cannot communicate with the infrastructure used to control the malicious software. As a result, Cryptolocker is effectively non-functional and unable to encrypt newly infected computers.
Computer users who believe they may be infected with Gameover Zeus are encouraged to visit the Department of Homeland Security's dedicated Gameover Zeus webpage, which is located at www.us-cert.gov/gameoverzeus
No defendant name was provided in the source.
Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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