Critical analysis of Microsoft Operation B71

This analysis criticizes Microsoft’s Operation B71 takedown of ZeuS/Ice-IX and SpyEye, arguing that seized servers and dozens of domains were poorly verified, that legitimate sinkholes and third-party monitoring domains were taken or disrupted, that captured traffic contained sensitive victim data contrary to affidavit claims, and that the action harmed trust and cooperation in the security community while causing only limited, short-term disruption to the criminal botnets.