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Microsoft: U.S. Leads the World in Botnet-Controlled Computers

by Amar Toor on October 15, 2010 at 01:50 PM

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The U.S. may not be the superpower it once was, but, when it comes to botnets, at least, we're still number one. According to Microsoft's newly released ninth Security Intelligence Report, more than 2.2 million computers in the U.S. fell prey to botnets in the first six months of 2010, substantially more than second-ranked Brazil, home to 550,000 infected computers. South Korea, however, has the highest percentage of zombie computers, with 14.6 out of every 100 computers controlled by botnet herders. Globally, moreover, botnet infections seem to be rising rapidly. Between April and June of 2010, Microsoft reportedly cleaned 6.5 million infected computers, more than twice as many as it did during the same part of 2009.

What makes Microsoft's numbers especially curious, though, is the fact that it's relatively easy to defend against botnets. As NPR points out, there are plenty of free programs (including many from Microsoft) that can guard against botnet infection by safeguarding a PC's vulnerable points. Some even do so automatically, without requiring any action on a user's part. This month, in fact, Microsoft released its largest ever package of security tools. The package hosts patches for 49 different vulnerabilities, including that nasty Stuxnet worm that's got everyone so terrified. If PC users continue to suffer from botnet infections, then, they clearly have only themselves to blame.

Tags: botnet, Brazil, cybersecurity, Microsoft, patch, patches, security, south korea, SouthKorea, spam, statistics, study, top, USA, virus

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