Microsoft, along with several partners, announced today that they have managed to disrupt several cybercrime rings that made use of botnets running the malicious Zeus software. The cybercrime rings have reportedly used Zeus to steal more than $100 million over the past five years.

Microsoft partnered with the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center and the National Automated Clearing House Association for the seizure of servers last week after being granted permission by a court to target them. The servers were located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Lombard, Illinois. In addition Microsoft gained control of over 800 domains that constitute part of the Zeus system.

39 defendants stand accused by Microsoft of using the Zeus botnet to steal the aforementioned funds and of infecting 13 million computers. Most of the defendants have only been identified by their online handles.

Microsoft is now working on identifying which computers have been infected with Zeus and notifying their owners.

Source: PC World