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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →In a January 14, 2009 report, CSO Online said an unnamed Russian hacker left Microsoft a friendly message inside a variation of Win32/Zlob. The note praised the company’s response to threats and wished its staff a happy New Year. French security researcher S!Ri found the sample; the report did not establish that the message’s author created Zlob.
What did the message say?
CSO Online reproduced the note as: “Just want to say ‘Hello’ from Russia. You are really good guys. It was a surprise for me that Microsoft can respond on threats so fast,” followed by “Happy New Year, guys, and good luck!” The message appeared in a Win32/Zlob variation and was addressed to Microsoft. CSO Online’s January 14, 2009 report attributed it to an unnamed Russian hacker.
The report also recounted an earlier message, from the previous October: “I want to see your eyes the man from Windows Defender’s team.” It said French security researcher S!Ri found the newer note on a Friday, but does not establish an exact discovery date from that description.
How was the message connected to Zlob?
The report described a period Zlob scam in which a person was sent a link presented as an interesting video and then prompted to install a multimedia codec to watch it. The supposed codec was malicious software. This describes the historical lure in the 2009 account, not the current prevalence of the technique.
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Finding a note in a sample labelled Win32/Zlob did not prove its author created the malware family. Joe Stewart, identified in the report as a SecureWorks researcher, cautioned that “Zlob is one of those things that gets mislabeled by AV companies a lot.” He explained that fake-codec prompts associated with multimedia files could lead to infections given the Zlob label. The report therefore supports a narrower conclusion: the message was found in a Zlob-labelled variation, while the author’s connection to the family remained uncertain.
What did Microsoft say?
CSO reported that Microsoft had not caught this sample before S!Ri found it. Microsoft spokesman Tareq Saade commented on the hacker’s claim that operations were ending: “It warms my heart that they’re ‘closing soon,’” he wrote in a blog post, as quoted by CSO.
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Saade also addressed why a follow-up sample might escape notice: “Considering the enormous amount of malware we go through every day, it can be difficult to track follow up samples like this.” These statements are reproduced here as CSO quoted them; the original Microsoft blog post was not independently reviewed for this account.
Was the hacker really offered a Microsoft job?
The CSO report says the hacker claimed Microsoft had once offered him a job helping improve Windows Vista’s security. The report does not independently substantiate that claim, so it should not be treated as a confirmed offer or evidence of a relationship with Microsoft.
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What the 2009 report establishes—and what it does not
- Reported observation: a message addressed to Microsoft was found in a Win32/Zlob variation, and S!Ri found the sample before Microsoft did.
- Reported content: the note praised Microsoft’s response to threats and included a New Year greeting.
- Unconfirmed attribution: the report did not prove the writer was Zlob’s creator.
- Unverified personal claim: the supposed Windows Vista security job offer came from the hacker’s account.
The source is CSO Online / IDG News Service’s January 14, 2009 story, “Hacker Leaves Microsoft Trojan Message.” It is a historical news report, not a current malware warning.
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