Microsoft disrupts ZeroAccess web

ZeroAccess, one of the world's largest botnets - a network of computers infected with malware to trigger online fraud - has been disrupted by Microsoft and law enforcement agencies.

ZeroAccess hijacks web search results and redirects users to potentially dangerous sites to steal their details.
It also generates fraudulent ad clicks on infected computers then claims payouts from duped advertisers.
Also called Sirefef botnet, ZeroAccess, has infected two million computers.
The botnet targets search results on Google, Bing and Yahoo search engines and is estimated to cost online advertisers $2.7m (£1.7m) per month.
Microsoft said it had been authorised by US regulators to "block incoming and outgoing communications between computers located in the US and the 18 identified Internet Protocol (IP) addresses being used to commit the fraudulent schemes".

Due to its botnet architecture, ZeroAccess is one of the most robust and durable botnets in operation today and was built to be resilient to disruption efforts”

Microsoft

In addition, the firm has also taken control of 49 domains associated with ZeroAccess.

David Finn, executive director of Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, said the disruption "will stop victims' computers from being used for fraud and help us identify the computers that need to be cleaned of the infection".
'Most robust' The ZeroAccess botnet relies on waves of communication between groups of infected computers, instead of being controlled by a few servers.
This allows cyber criminals to control the botnet remotely from a range of computers, making it difficult to tackle.
According to Microsoft, more than 800,000 ZeroAccess-infected computers were active on the internet on any given day as of October this year.
"Due to its botnet architecture, ZeroAccess is one of the most robust and durable botnets in operation today and was built to be resilient to disruption efforts," Microsoft said.
However, the firm said its latest action is "expected to significantly disrupt the botnet's operation, increasing the cost and risk for cyber criminals to continue doing business and preventing victims' computers from committing fraudulent schemes".
Microsoft said its Digital Crimes Unit collaborated with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Europol's European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) to disrupt the operations.
Earlier this year, security firm Symantec said it had disabled nearly 500,000 computers infected by ZeroAccess and taken them out of the botnet.

Rare material shortages put gadgets at risk

Modern technology is too reliant on rare materials whose scarcity could drastically set back innovation, a new report has warned.

It suggested that as more and more devices are manufactured, supplies of key elements, particularly metals, will be strained.
Potential substitute materials are either inadequate or non-existent, researchers said.
One scientist called the findings "an important wake-up call".
Andrea Sella, of University College London - who was unconnected to the study - told website The Conversation that it was the first time the issue had been explored in such detail.
Researchers at Yale University, led by Prof Thomas Graedel, analysed the use of 62 metals or metalloids commonly found in popular technology, such as smartphones.
Troubling It found that none of the 62 had alternatives that performed equally well. Twelve had no alternative, Prof Graedal found.
The scope for serious disruption because of material shortages is increasingly troubling technology companies.
Rare materials are expensive to extract, and their processing comes with considerable environmental concerns.

In April 2012, the BBC's Ian Hardy discovered the effect that mass flooding in Thailand had on the technology supply chain

Political factors also play a part: in 2010, China restricted the export of some materials, known as rare earth elements.
It said this was because of environmental issues, but some observers noted that the restrictions had two distinct effects - the price of the elements increased fivefold, and Chinese companies were simultaneously given the upper hand in using the precious materials at lower cost.
Disrupted Natural disasters bring another unpredictable risk.
In 2011, serious flooding in Thailand disrupted global supply chains as the country is a hub for hardware manufacture.
Shortages of storage devices extended well into 2012, according to research company IHS iSuppli, with hard-drive supplies the hardest hit.
The Yale report concluded: "As wealth and population increase worldwide i
n the next few decades, scientists will be increasingly challenged to maintain and improve product utility by designing new and better materials, but doing so under potential constraints in resource availability.