Botnet operator taps into Google Analytics

A botnet operator is using Google Analytics to collect additional details about his network of zombie computers.

Google Analytics offers free site visitor statistics, tracking the number individuals that visit a website and their geographic location. The service uses special html-code that is embedded onto a website that alerts the Google server every with every visitor.

In this case however, a botnet operator embedded the code into a variant of the Opanki virus, McAfee reported on its blog. Similar to the website statistics, this provides the malware's author with feedback on the number of infections and their geographic location.

"The botnet owner seems concerned over not having an organized way to check the bots, like geographic distribution," wrote McAfee researcher Pedro Bueno.

"But how can he or she accomplish this in an easy way? Yes, Google analytics. "

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