Developer Citadel Malware Sentenced To 4.5 Years In Prison

A developer of the Citadel malware, making more than 11 million computers were infected, was convicted in the United States to a term of 4.5 years. Citadel was specifically designed to steal money from bank accounts, but was also used to make other data booty.

That lets you know the US Department of Justice. However, it does not seem to be the developer who developed the first version of Citadel. In the statement of the Ministry is mainly spoken that now condemned man Citadel distributed and installed on computers. Citadel was a popular tool among cyber criminals to infect with internet users and steal all kinds of data. Worldwide, hundreds of botnets were active from which existed by Citadel-infected computers.

The computers became infected e-mail attachments and drive-by downloads. Besides using Citadel and managing a Citadel botnet was now the condemned man, a 22-year-old Russian, also accused of providing online help to improve Citadel. The Russian man worked from Russia, but could be when he was arrested in Spain. Citadel would have caused, according to the US Department of Justice more than $ 500 million in damages. In addition to his prison sentence, the man must also pay compensation of $ 322,000.

Anti-Virus Company With Molotov Cocktails Attacked

The Russian anti-virus company Doctor Web last year with firebombs attacked after it published an analysis of malware that allows criminals to steal money from ATMs. That the virus fighter on the website announced. In the attacks no injuries.

End December 2013 Doctor Web published an analysis of the "Trojan.Skimer". It went to a Trojan was able to infect a widely used type of ATM and then steal PINs and other card data. Following the publication of the analysis Doctor Web received a threatening email from a group of criminals who called himself "Syndicate". According to the group was the analysis of the anti-virus company threatens the malware criminals and would thus get duped. They gave Doctor Web a week time to verwijdere the analysis, otherwise the company's programmers would be attacked.

March last year was one of the offices of the anti-virus company twice attacked with Molotov cocktails. After the attacks, Doctor Web received a second threatening mail. This time the criminals threatened to destroy all the offices of the company. The Russian virus fighter ignored the threats and allowed the analysis are online. Eventually the office in St. Petersburg was attacked for a third time, let Boris Sharov, CEO of Doctor Web, opposite Brian Krebs know. There were also three times attempted to break into an office in Moscow.

The damage caused by the Molotov cocktails were insignificant, but the fear was there at the staff well, said Sharov. He thinks that the persons who carried out the attacks were hired by the developers of the malware and that it was not the programmers themselves. Doctor Web's analysts believe that the programmers had promised the malware to various criminal gangs, but had not yet delivered. The analysis of the anti-virus company would shortly after the development of the Trojan horse appeared, but before the programmers could deliver malware to their customers, which placed them in a difficult position.

Victim Phone Scam For 7000 Euro Scammed

Britain is a victim of a phone scam for 7000 euro defrauded, according to what that person comes from a data leak which last year took place at his former provider. In December 2014 it was announced that attackers a database of UK ISP TalkTalk had been hacked.

In addition, the data of millions of customers were captured, including name and phone number. Because of connection problems, the victim decided in May this year to another provider to switch. Not much later, the victim was called by someone posing as TalkTalk employee. He stated that there were problems with some routers and computers. The "employee" then sought to gain remote access to the computer, which the victim downloaded a file.

After the so-called employee had taken over control of the computer, there finally appeared a message on the screen that the user had rights to 270 euros. Via internet banking showed the "employee" that the money was transferred. Instead of 270 euro, however, was paid 7,000 euros. Then asked the "employee" or the excess amount transferred could be returned via Money Gram or he would lose his job. The victim did. Only later it turned out that the 7000 euro of the savings account was transferred to the bank account of the victim and there was a scam.

According to the victim, there is evidence that his computer was monitored from December. TalkTalk will however not cover the damage. The victim then approached the Guardian, but the British newspaper reports that there is no chance of damages. TalkTalk states in a reaction that a small number of clients using the stolen data has been approached by phone scammers. However, the provider says that the customer's own website for scam alerts.