Microsoft Botnet Hunter

the_syco

http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9080958&source=rss_topic85

The software vendor is giving law enforcers access to a special tool that keeps tabs on botnets, using data compiled from the 450 million computer users who have installed the Malicious Software Removal Tool that ships with Windows.

...

Sûreté du Québec officers had heard about Microsoft's tool in at a 2006 Microsoft law enforcement conference. A few months later, they decided to give it a try.
Analysis by Microsoft's software allowed investigators to identify which IP address was being used to operate the botnet, Gaudreau said. And that cracked the case.

...

"If we hadn't had that tool, it would have maybe taken two years more to do the investigation," he said.

Not sure who'd they'd give access to for such a tool, but it may be handy in time to come.

_CreeD_

SRI are also very good bot tracking resource http://mtc.sri.com/, they have an internal IDS package tuned for BotNets called "Bot Hunter" (Link on that page).