New features of botnets created by the infamous Storm Worm allow denial of service attacks to be launched against security defenders that attempt to interrupt its operation. Attempts to probe command-and-control servers can result in a withering counter-attack of malicious traffic that can swamp the internet connections of security activists for days, according to Josh Korman, host-protection architect the ISS security division of IBM. "As you try to investigate [Storm], it knows, and it punishes," Korman told delegates at the Interop New York conference this week, Network World reports.

It’s unclear whether the counter-attacks are launched automatically by the malign system or by botnet herders manually. What is clear is that the code behind the malware is evolving.

Instead of simply disabling anti-virus applications, the latest refinement to the worm means that such applications may appear to run but are unable to detect malware. "It’s running, but it’s not doing anything," Korman explained. "You can brain-dead anything." Storm Worm retaliates against security researchers | Channel Register

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