ZeuS finally takes a hit!

A Microsoft-led operation resulted in the takedown of key servers associated with the infamous ZeuS and SpyEye banking Trojan botnets on Friday.

Months of investigation culminated in the coordinated seizure of command-and-control servers associated with the botnets and hosted in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Lombard, Illinois.

The takedown came after Microsoft filed suit against 39 unnamed parties on Monday (16 March) asking for permission to sever the command-and-control structures of these ZeuS botnets. The action follows the same tactics as previous successful takedowns of Waledac, Rustock and Kelihos spam-distribution botnet networks.

In a statement, Microsoft described the ZeuS takedown as its most complex to date. It said the action had the "limited and achievable" aim of disrupting the operations of ZeuS-related cybercrime operations rather than decapitating a zombie network, as in previous operations.