There has been an ongoing operation on the FBI’s behalf called ‘Operation Bot Roast’ where they report the damages caused by botnets on an ongoing basis.  Granted, this operation is not just used for reporting purposes, but it also helps track the sources of botnets so their creators can be sentenced to applicable terms.  Some people think botnets are just used to help crack passwords and deliver spam, but that is definitely not the case.  Within the past 5 months, Operation Bot Roast has identified $20 million worth of botnet damage to consumers and businesses.  Yes, they do much more than crack passwords and send spam…

FBI agents engaged in a crackdown on botnet crime issued a progress report of the ongoing initiative, reporting more than $20m in losses to consumers, businesses and other organizations and the identification of one million infected machines in the past five months.

In addition, eight individuals have been indicted, have pleaded guilty or been sentenced for crimes related to botnets since “Operation Bot Roast,” as the ongoing investigation is known, was announced in June. Thirteen search warrants connected to the operation have been served in the US and overseas, and at least seven FBI field offices have participated.[more]

Tags: Other