back to article Microsoft takes scissors to Srizbi

Microsoft security teams have struck what they hope is a fatal blow at Srizbi, the once-powerful spam botnet that has been fighting for its life since last year's demise of two US-based network providers that offered vital lifelines. The company's Malicious Software Removal Tool has already proved invaluable in mass …

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  1. raving angry loony

    trust issues

    The MSRT tool is a good idea. Since they can't cure the cause - poor security design - at least they're providing a pill for the symptoms. Now the problem is trusting Microsoft to use the MSRT to remove only what is truly malware, and not use it to (oh so accidentally of course) remove parts of competing software, or leave in malware from vendors who pay them enough.

  2. Ralph B
    Happy

    The MS in MSRT

    So, even MS admiits that MS stands for "Malicious Software" now, eh?

  3. Steve

    @ Raving Angry Loony

    The vast majority of viruses on Windows PC's are from users installing them. How you expect Microsoft to resolve this I have no idea.

    MSRT is a useful tool that you don't have to download. It's in automatic updates, but nobody forces you to download/install them. Simply turn it off.

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    Can I be the first....

    Linux, waffle, drone...Zzzzzzz

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Sure is tin foil hats in here

    You have one of the most apt screen names I've ever seen.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    @raving angry loon

    Oh noes! Fetch the tinfoil hats!

    Poor troll, 0/10.

    R.

  7. foo_bar_baz
    Joke

    How apropos

    MS releases MSRT. I could labour the point and suggest other 'MSRTs', but I'm happily using XP among other OSs. And it would make the day of some fanboy looking to rant. So I won't.

    Well done Redmond, now give me MSGART.

  8. adnim

    How long

    has Win32/Srizbi been out there?

    When was it first detected?

    How long have AV vendors been able to detect and remove this?

    Better late than never?

    @raving angry loony, I fully understand your sentiments but I don't think MS would risk further anti-trust suits by using MSRT to hurt legitimate 3rd party software. However what MSRT will never do is remove Microsoft's own spyware and malware that comes as part of a standard windows <insert version number here> install. The only solution here is to never connect to the Internet with a Windoze box, at least without a third party software firewall. Although this is not 100%, it helps. Better still upgrade the OS to a Linux distro.

  9. Ken Hagan Gold badge

    Re: trust issues

    You are indeed a "raving angry loony", sir. There is no trust issue here. Anything that MSRT does is done in public and if MS use it for the purposes that you describe they will be open to charges of *criminal* damage in most jurisdictions on the planet. So, how likely is that then?

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @ Mr Loony

    you mean like the other AV vendor's software agent which automatically remove anything called 'keygen'.. just storing something called a keygen automatically classes it as a virus.. at least as far as Sym-ahem!-some-of -them are concerned.. nothing to do with it likely being a way to subvert licencing processes for a software vendor's product.. no it must be a virus.

    do we know if these av-company types hawk the product sensitivity to this keygen presence detection to the companies they are helping or is it entirely good will and utterly altuistic?

    \ end rant..

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