My 12-step botnet recovery program, originally presented at DC404.
- Admit that you are powerless over bots.
- Believe that a power greater than yourself exists and is necessary to identify and eliminate malware, botnets, and the Windows hosts that contain them.
- Make a decision to turn your will and your life over to ShadowServer, Malfease or another similar volunteer effort.
- Make a searching and fearless inventory of your Windows machines.
- Admit to another security expert that you [have/do] run Windows.
- Demonstrate readiness to remove Windows from your PC.
- Humbly ask other experts to remove Windows from your machine.
- Make a list of all other machines you’ve infected.
- Make amends to those infected, i.e. with Mac OS, Ubuntu, FreeBSD or similar.
- Continue to inventory remaining Windows hosts, and when infected, format & re-install.
- Seek through prayer, meditation and continuing malware research to improve your understanding of the growing malware threat as we know it.
- Having had a spiritual awakening, carry this message to other Windows users.
Please enjoy and disseminate widely.