Author of Nanocore RAT Arrested in Arkansas
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 07/27/2017 11:10 AM
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Taylor Huddleston, 26, of Hot Springs, Arkansas, created the popular Nanocore RAT.
The RAT was used by crooks to infect countless computers across the globe, steal data and secretly watch unsuspecting victims. Huddleston also created Net Seal, a licensing application.
Net Seal was used by software developers to prevent copying of apps obtained illegally. However, many of Huddleston's customers were malware authors.'
The FBI arrested Huddleston who argued that his software was never intended to be abused by cyber-criminals. He plead that his only purpose in creating the software was to sustain himself.
Huddleston created Nanocore which he advertised as a legitimate remote desktop management utility. However, it contained all the necessary tools to provide key-logging, turning on a computer's webcam without the owner's consent, an option to carry out DDoS attacks, and a ransomware-like feature to lock people out of their PCs.
Soon cyber-security vendors started seeing infected computers with Nanocore. They found that the malware was used to spy on victims, carry out surveillance, download other malware, and steal data from hacked companies.
Two days ago, on July 25th, Huddleston admitted his guilt and "that he intended his products to be used maliciously." Authorities have evidence that Huddleston knew his software was being used by criminals and instead of alerting authorities, he instead provided support to other malware authors.
Sentencing will take place December 8 at which point he could be facing up to ten years in prison.
Source: Bleeping Computer
The RAT was used by crooks to infect countless computers across the globe, steal data and secretly watch unsuspecting victims. Huddleston also created Net Seal, a licensing application.Net Seal was used by software developers to prevent copying of apps obtained illegally. However, many of Huddleston's customers were malware authors.'
The FBI arrested Huddleston who argued that his software was never intended to be abused by cyber-criminals. He plead that his only purpose in creating the software was to sustain himself.
Huddleston created Nanocore which he advertised as a legitimate remote desktop management utility. However, it contained all the necessary tools to provide key-logging, turning on a computer's webcam without the owner's consent, an option to carry out DDoS attacks, and a ransomware-like feature to lock people out of their PCs.
Soon cyber-security vendors started seeing infected computers with Nanocore. They found that the malware was used to spy on victims, carry out surveillance, download other malware, and steal data from hacked companies.
Two days ago, on July 25th, Huddleston admitted his guilt and "that he intended his products to be used maliciously." Authorities have evidence that Huddleston knew his software was being used by criminals and instead of alerting authorities, he instead provided support to other malware authors.
Sentencing will take place December 8 at which point he could be facing up to ten years in prison.
Source: Bleeping Computer
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