Botnet Malware Writer Arrested in Slovenia
A man believed to a malware author has been arrested in Slovenia. The 23-year-old virus writer, known as Iserdo, is said to be the author of the Mariposa virus, which infected more than 12.7 million computers and was dismantled earlier this year.
Since its discovery, law enforcement organizations in the United States and Europe have been working to close down the operators. Police in Spain arrested three individuals suspected of running the botnet. The malware is designed to steal financial data and was even found on computers in major companies and financial institutions.
“To use an analogy here, as opposed to arresting the guy who broke into your home, we’ve arrested the guy that gave him the crowbar, the map and the best houses in the neighborhood,” Jeffrey Troy, deputy assistant director for the FBI cyber division to an Associated Press reporter.
The Mariposa botnet was one of the largest in world. Cyber expert Rick Ferguson told the BBC that the botnet actually got much larger than the attackers anticipated.
“The guys behind it said it was more successful than they had intended to be,” he said. “As is the case with most botnets, the more widespread they are the more likely they are to be discovered. They were a victim of their own success.”
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