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Zeus Botnet

2007

First spotted in 2007, the Zeus botnet—a network of compromised computers—has been built via techniques such as phishing, which tries to entice recipients of an e-mail message to click on links to software that infects the computer. Its purpose, say FBI investigators, is to steal money from the owners of affected computers by capturing their keystrokes in order to steal banking information. The thieves have targeted small businesses, municipal governments, and churches, and managed to steal about $70 million. An international police investigation has led to the arrest of more than 100 people in the U.S., the U.K., and Ukraine. The network is still in operation despite the arrests.

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