Microsoft settles suit against alleged botnet hoster

[ronjor]

by Elinor Mills October 26, 2011 1:20 PM PDT

Microsoft said today that a Czech Republic-based provider of free domains has agreed to pull the plug on botnet activities using his subdomains, as part of a settlement of a lawsuit the software giant filed in September to shut down the Kelihos botnet.

The suit, filed in federal court in Virginia, named Dominique Alexander Piatti and his domain company, Dotfree Group SRO, as defendants, alleging that they were involved in hosting the Kelihos botnet. Infected computers in that operation, also known as "Waledac 2.0" after a previous botnet that Microsoft shut down last year, were used to send unregulated pharmaceutical and other spam, to harvest e-mails and passwords, to conduct fraudulent stock scams and, in some cases, to promote sites dealing with sexual exploitation of children. Subdomains also were allegedly used to spread the MacDefender scareware

http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20...-botnet-hoster

[siljaline]

A bit late but better than never.

From Microsoft's DCU - Digital Crimes Unit

• Microsoft Reaches Settlement with Piatti, dotFREE Group in Kelihos Case •

Partial quote

Last month, I wrote about how Microsoft and our partners, Kyrus and Kaspersky, took down the Kelihos botnet and that for the first time, Microsoft took the step of naming specific defendants in a civil case involving a botnet. In the legal case supporting the Kelihos takedown, Microsoft sued defendants Dominique Alexander Piatti, dotFree Group S.R.O. and John Does 1 through 22 associated with the IP addresses and Internet domains alleged to be involved in the command and control structure for the Kelihos botnet.

Today, I’m pleased to say that Microsoft has reached a settlement with defendants Dominique Alexander Piatti and his company, dotFREE Group SRO, and will be dismissing the lawsuit against them pursuant to the agreement. However, the case for the remaining John Does remains open, as Microsoft continues our investigation to hold those responsible for the Kelihos botnet.
Posted by Richard Domingues Boscovich
Senior Attorney, Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit

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