Threat Management

Authorities arrest infamous hacker “Diabl0” in Bangkok

A notorious hacker, who previously served prison time for other computer-related crimes, faces new hacking charges, according to reports.  

Farid Essebar, a Russian-born hacker from Morroco, also known as Diabl0, was arrested in Bangkok last Tuesday due to charges levied against him in Switzerland.

The Bangkok Post broke the news this Tuesday of Essebar's capture, reporting that that the 27-year-old man was detained after a two-year police hunt.

Essebar was wanted in Switzerland for allegedly hacking bank computer systems and websites in the country, resulting in $4 billion worth of damage to victims in Europe, an international crime official told the outlet.

Back in 2006, the hacker served a year in prison before being released (after a Moroccan court handed down a two-year sentence).

He was jailed, along with a co-conspirator, Achraf Bahloul, for his part in the creation of the Zotob worm, which disrupted the networks of major media outlets, including CNN, the New York Times, and ABC. At the time, researchers noted that the Zotob worm became well known because of how quickly it was developed and the amount of damage it caused.

Now, Essebar is expected to be extradited to Switzerland within 90 days under the terms of an agreement between the country and Thailand.

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