TEMPO.CO, Washington - Microsoft Corp and FBI, together with authorities in 80 countries, have launched a vital strike to one of the world's biggest cyber crime rings, believed to have stolen $500 million from bank accounts over the last 18 months.
Microsoft said that the company's Digital Crime Unit has successfully took down 1,000 out of 1,400 malicious networks known as the Citadel Botnets.
Citadel Botnets have infected 5 million PCs in total and were used to retrieve data from financial institutions like: American Express, Bank of America, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, eBay’s PayPal, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, Royal Bank of Canada and Wells Fargo.
"The bad guys will feel a punch in a gut," said Richard Domingues Boscovich, General Advisor's Assistant of Microsoft's Digital Crime Unit.
REUTERS | TRIP B