Russian Police Detain 8 Cyber-criminals

The security agency of Russia, FSB (Federal Security Service) recently detained 8 computer-hackers suspected of stealing $4.5m during October-December 2011, disclosed Group-IB a security analyst company, thus published Computerworld.com dated March 20, 2012.

It was in 2010 beginning that the hackers' gang first became noticeable as it utilized a Trojan virus for hijacking computers, stated Security Specialist Michael Sandee of Fox IT a Dutch security company that later helped a great deal during the investigation process. Computerworld.com published this.

The Trojan, which was utilized for trapping victims during the gang's assaults, was Carberp, Sandee continued, adding that it logged numerous different passwords as well as log-in data after managing to plant itself onto a target PC.

Carberp, explained Sandee, snuggled and remained on PCs via abusing different browser flaws, a few being Flash and Java browser plug-ins. Moreover, after it permeated a system, Carberp executed an apparent man-in-the-browser assault. In the latest one, the Trojan got itself positioned inside the victim's Web-browser where its perpetrators carried out one sniffer protocol for intercepting log-in credentials and other passwords. It even managed in manipulating traffic, which it supplied to phishing websites, devoid of end-users knowledge while they logged into one, Sandee stated.

Occasionally, alongside the Carberp Trojan, for gaining admission into home-PCs, the hackers further utilized what's known as the RDP-door malicious program and then carried out illegal withdrawals or payments. Reportedly, this stolen money was en-cashed through bank cards.

Significantly researchers, conducting the investigation, observed that the hackers infiltrated well-known websites such as of Internet shops and social media onto which they loaded malware and thereby served drive-by downloads to Web-surfers.

Further according to the researchers, having organized itself very well the gang even moved towards setting up an office disguised as a firm for recovering data only to appear genuine.

But FSB along with the Interior Ministry of Russia sent armed officers to raid this office as well as the suspects' residences and retrieved PC-equipments, plentiful bank cards as also abundant forged documents.

Currently, most members belonging to the gang are under house detention, officers from the police department have announced.

Related article: Russian Hackers Break into NOAA to Push Pills

» SPAMfighter News - 3/29/2012