Botmaster admits infecting 250,000 computers

["Paul Ferguson" <fergdawg () netzero net>]

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Via Reuters.

[snip]

A Los Angeles man on Friday admitted infecting 250,000 computers and
stealing the identities of thousands of people by wiretapping their
communications and accessing their bank accounts.

John Schiefer, 26, agreed to plead guilty to four counts of fraud and
wiretap charges that could lead to a $1.75 million fine and send him to
prison for up to 60 years, the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney's office said.

Prosecutors 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."

[snip]

More:
http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSN0823938120071110

Also here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/09/botmaster_to_plea_guilty/

- - ferg

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--
"Fergie", a.k.a. Paul Ferguson
 Engineering Architecture for the Internet
 fergdawg(at)netzero.net
 ferg's tech blog: http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/


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