Threat Management, Malware

Teenager busted for running botnet that stole $50,000 a month

A 19-year-old Argentinean man, whose identity has not been revealed, could face up to 10 years behind bars after being arrested and charged with intercepting $50,000 a month from gaming and money transfer sites and dumping it into his bank account.

In a bid to remain undetected, the perpetrator reportedly ran a botnet of thousands of computers that were taken over with malware. Argentinean police initiated the aptly named ‘Operation Zombie' in 2012 when the owner of a web hosting service reported that a hacker was intercepting funds.

Authorities raided the home of the 19-year-old in July and seized computer equipment, including what was reported to be a command-and-control server. The operation led to the arrest of six others.

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