Botnet hijack reveals 70GB stolen data

Security researchers have managed to infiltrate the Torpig botnet. This feat allowed them to gain important new insights into one of the world's most notorious zombie networks by collecting an astounding 70GB worth of data stolen in just 10 days, says The Register.

During that time, Torpig bots stole more than 8 300 credentials used to login to 410 different financial institutions, according to the research team from the University of California.

More than 21% of the accounts belonged to PayPal users. Overall, a total of almost 298 000 unique credentials were intercepted from more than 52 000 infected machines.

The UK's electronic intelligence agency has taken the unusual step of issuing a statement to deny it will track all UK Internet and online phone use, reports the BBC.

Government Communications Headquarters said it was developing tracking technology, but "only acts when it is necessary" and "does not spy at will".

The denial follows the home secretary scrapping plans for a single government database for all communications.

According to research firm NPD Group, Research In Motion's BlackBerry Curve topped Apple's iPhone to become the best-selling consumer smartphone in the first quarter, says The San Francisco Chronicle.

The iPhone came in second, but two other BlackBerry models - the Storm and the Pearl - were right behind, in third and fourth places.

Research In Motion's consumer smartphone market share increased by 15%, to 50%, in the quarter, as Apple's share dropped by 10%.

European Union (EU) anti-trust regulators have set an early June date for an oral hearing during which Microsoft can defend its practice of bundling Internet Explorer (IE) with Windows, reports Computerworld.

Early on Monday, Jonathan Todd, spokesman for the EU's Competition Commission, told several news outlets, including the Reuters and Dow Jones wire services, that the agency had set 3 to 5 June for Microsoft to respond to charges that it "shields" IE from competition.

Sources close to Microsoft said that while the company has requested the hearing, a procedural matter that was required when it submitted its written response last week, it has not made a final decision about whether it will actually go through with the conference.