Australia says it cut Amadey operator off from 180,000 computers

The Australian Signals Directorate says it cut a criminal's access to 180,000 computers infected with Amadey malware worldwide. Its operators gained access to the criminal's backend and disconnected the controller from its victims, an agency official told ABC News in an interview published October 27. Amadey can install additional malware, steal credentials and provide remote access. The disruption affected one criminal's operation: ESET has identified 53 separate Amadey botnets without shared infrastructure. Disconnecting the controller does not reverse earlier theft, and stolen credentials or session cookies can remain useful to attackers.