Ne’er-Do-Well News – Page 27 – Computer Security Articles

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2018 18:04:22 +0000

The U.S. Justice Department announced charges on Wednesday against three dozen individuals thought to be key members of ‘Infraud,” a long-running cybercrime forum that federal prosecutors say cost consumers more than a half billion dollars. In conjunction with the forum takedown, 13 alleged Infraud members from the United States and six other countries were arrested. Started in October 2010, Infraud was short for “In Fraud We Trust,” and collectively the forum referred to itself as the “Ministry of Fraudulently [sic] Affairs.” As a mostly English-language fraud forum, Infraud attracted nearly 11,000 members from around the globe who sold, traded and bought everything from stolen identities and credit card accounts to ATM skimmers, botnet hosting and malicious software.

Independent Krebs

February 5, 2018 admin

Alleged Spam Kingpin ‘Severa’ Extradited to US

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2018 18:28:30 +0000

Peter Yuryevich Levashov, a 37-year-old Russian computer programmer thought to be one of the world’s most notorious spam kingpins, has been extradited to the United States to face federal hacking and spamming charges. Levashov, who allegedly went by the hacker name “Peter Severa,” or “Peter of the North,” hails from St. Petersburg in northern Russia, but he was arrested last year while in Barcelona, Spain with his family. Authorities have long suspected he is the cybercriminal behind the once powerful spam botnet known as Waledac (a.k.a. “Kelihos”), a now-defunct malware strain responsible for sending more than 1.5 billion spam, phishing and malware attacks each day.

Independent Krebs

January 15, 2018 admin

Serial SWATter Tyler “SWAuTistic” Barriss Charged with Involuntary Manslaughter

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2018 01:41:12 +0000

Tyler Raj Barriss, a 25-year-old serial “swatter” whose phony emergency call to Kansas police last month triggered a fatal shooting, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and faces up to eleven years in prison.

Independent Krebs

January 15, 2018 admin

Canadian Police Charge Operator of Hacked Password Service Leakedsource.com

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2018 16:44:47 +0000

Canadian authorities have arrested and charged a 27-year-old Ontario man for allegedly selling billions of stolen passwords online through the now-defunct service Leakedsource.com.

Independent Krebs

January 2, 2018 admin

Serial Swatter “SWAuTistic” Bragged He Hit 100 Schools, 10 Homes

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Tue, 02 Jan 2018 17:15:10 +0000

The individual who allegedly made a fake emergency call to Kansas police last week that summoned them to shoot and kill an unarmed local man has claimed credit for raising dozens of these dangerous false alarms — calling in bogus hostage situations and bomb threats at roughly 100 schools and at least 10 residences.

Independent Krebs

December 29, 2017 admin

Kansas Man Killed In ‘SWATting’ Attack

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 29 Dec 2017 21:17:36 +0000

A 28-year-old Kansas man was shot and killed by police officers on the evening of Dec. 28 after someone fraudulently reported a hostage situation ongoing at his home. The false report was the latest in a dangerous hoax known as “swatting,” wherein the perpetrator falsely reports a dangerous situation at an address with the goal of prompting authorities to respond to that address with deadly force. This particular swatting reportedly originated over a $1.50 wagered match in the online game Call of Duty. Compounding the tragedy is that the man killed was an innocent party who had no part in the dispute. The following is an analysis of what is known so far about the incident, as well as a brief interview with the alleged and self-professed perpetrator of this crime.

Independent Krebs

December 21, 2017 admin

U.K. Man Avoids Jail Time in vDOS Case

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Thu, 21 Dec 2017 13:56:01 +0000

A U.K. man who pleaded guilty to launching more than 2,000 cyberattacks against some of the world’s largest companies has avoided jail time for his role in the attacks. The judge in the case reportedly was moved by pleas for leniency that cited the man’s youth at the time of the attacks and a diagnosis of autism.

Independent Krebs

December 15, 2017 admin

Former Botmaster, ‘Darkode’ Founder is CTO of Hacked Bitcoin Mining Firm ‘NiceHash’

Credit to Author: BrianKrebs| Date: Fri, 15 Dec 2017 16:48:18 +0000

On Dec. 6, 2017, approximately USD $52 million worth of Bitcoin mysteriously disappeared from the coffers of NiceHash, a Slovenian company that lets users sell their computing power to help others mine virtual currencies. As the investigation into the heist nears the end of its second week, many Nice-Hash users have expressed surprise to learn that the company’s chief technology officer recently served several years in prison for operating and reselling a massive botnet, and for creating and running ‘Darkode,” until recently the world’s most bustling English-language cybercrime forum.