Symantec announced that it has obtained a portion of the ZeroAccess botnet code, exploiting a vulnerability.
The ZeroAccess botnet has been around since 2010 and, according to statistics, has been downloaded over 9 million times, while network security and statistics software provider Kindsight reports that the botnet has infected over 2.2 million home networks.
ZeroAccess spreads via exploit kits, usually because victims open a link sent to them via email or contained in illegal software they download, or through Warez (code generation or decryption software). The botnet is a virtual money machine, as it focuses first on Bitcoins and then through fraud. The botnet's rapid spread is largely due to the fact that the operator's PPI (Pay-Per-Install) program pays out handsomely.
