Brazilian authorities have charged a man for allegedly selling
access to a 100,000-PC botnet of zombie computers.
The authorities have charged Abreu Neto, 35, for conspiring to
cause damage to computers around the world.
It is reported that Neto controlled a
botnet of 100,000
remote compromised computers, and leased access to third parties
for 25,000 euros (£20,500).
These
zombie PCs could then be used to send spam, launch distributed
denial-of-service attacks or commit identity theft.
Neto now faces up to five years in prison and a fine of more
than $250,000 (£125,000).
"The authorities should be congratulated for their efforts in
investigating this case and prosecuting the guilty parties," said
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at web security
software firm Sophos.
"But what about the 100,000 infected computers that were
unwillingly turned into foot soldiers for this criminal scheme?"
asked Cluley.
"While catching the bad guys is the first step, it is essential
that these innocent victims also clean up their PCs.
"Without this, it is likely they will just be playing a waiting
game until another hacker exploits their
lack of security and recruits them to another zombie network,"
he said.
Dutch authorities apprehended Neto on 29 July, following
assistance from the FBI's New Orleans field office and the Cyber
Section of the Brazilian Federal Police.
Neto allegedly worked with a 19-year-old man in the Netherlands
to run the zombie network and lease infected computers.
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