Looks like they caught one, a L.A. man admitted on Friday that he had infected 250,000 computers with "botnet" software which enabled him to wiretap communications and access their owners bank accounts.
John Schiefer, 26, will plead guilty to four counts of fraud and wiretap charges, with possible penalties that of up to a $1.75 million fine and prison for up to 60 years, per the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney's office.
Check out the Reuters story "Botmaster" admits infecting 250,000 computers:
You can probably guess, my take, Lock him up and throwaway the key! The biggest problem is that the vast majority of these guys get away totally free, or if they get caught they get a slight slap on the wrist, or even a six figure job in I.T. Security. Sphere: Related ContentProsecutors said Schiefer and an unspecified number of conspirators installed malicious computer codes that acted as a wiretap on compromised computers and intercepted messages to www.paypal.com and similar Web sites.
He retrieved usernames and passwords and used them to access an unknown number of bank accounts. Prosecutors said they were still investigating how much money was stolen and the number of victims.
They said Schiefer worked by day as an information security consultant but was a well-known "Botmaster" among the underground network of hackers skilled in so-called "botnet attacks."
He is expected to be arraigned on December 3.
0 comments:
Post a Comment