BBC buys, uses botnet to show dangers to PCs

BBC buys, uses botnet to show dangers to PCs

To demonstrate the threats from botnets, the BBC purchased a network of 22,000 infected computers, used it to spam its own e-mail accounts and for a denial-of-service test, and then left messages on the hijacked computers that they were infected.
The BBC’s Click technology program said it acquired the “low value” botnet after visiting Internet chat rooms and used the network to spam a Gmail and Hotmail account it created for the spam test. It demonstrated the test in a video that accompanies a BBC article about the expose on Thursday.
The e-mail accounts received thousands of spam messages within hours, the video says.
Read full article>>