Court orders seizure of ransomware botnet controls as U.S. election nears
Microsoft said Monday it had used a court order to take control of computers that were installing ransomware and other malicious software on local government networks and threatening to disrupt the November election.
The maker of the Windows operating system said it seized a series of internet protocol addresses hosted by U.S. companies that had been directing activity on computers infected with Trickbot, one of the most common pieces of malware in the world.
“Ransomware is one of the largest threats to the upcoming election,” said Microsoft Corporate Vice President Tom Burt. Among other programs, Trickbot has been used to deliver Ryuk ransomware, which has been blamed in attacks on the city of Durham, N.C., and hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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