Rootkit worm linked to hacker group in Middle East
Security sleuths at FaceTime Communications say they have linked a group of hackers operating in the Middle East to a worm that began spreading last month via America Online's Instant Messenger service.
Experts at FaceTime's security unit reported Thursday in the United States that the hacker group has seized control of at least 17,000 computers across the globe. The hackers have the capability to pilfer personal information from a computer's hard drive or remotely commandeer a PC to help launch attacks against companies or networks.
FaceTime, headquartered in Foster City, California, has alerted the FBI and warned that the 17,000 computers were controlled by a single compromised server. There is a chance that the hacker band may control other servers and thousands more computers, according to Tyler Wells, senior director of engineering at FaceTime.
