Microsoft names two Zeus defendants in civil action

Microsoft has named two of the 39 defendants it is suing for their alleged role in operating the Zeus botnet.

According to an amended civil complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, Microsoft named Yevhen Kulibaba and Yuriy Konovalenko as defendants. The other defendants remain listed as "John Does."

The identification of the pair shouldn't come as a surprise considering Ukrainians Kulibaba and Konovalenko were among 19 people charged in London in 2010 with being members of the Zeus gang. The duo, who were ringleaders, currently are serving prison time in the U.K. Richard Boscovich, a senior attorney with the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, said in a Monday blog post that he hopes the software giant's latest information will provide additional firepower for the FBI.