Blackshades Malware Co-Creator Sentenced to Five Years Probation
Posted by: Timothy Weaver on 02/01/2016 07:26 AM
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Michael Hogue, an Arizona man, who co-created software distributed by an organization called Blackshades was sentenced on Friday to five years of probation. In addition, he was ordered to pay $40,000 and perform 500 hours of community service.
Blackshades was used to hack into a million computers worldwide. Blackshades' flagship product was the "Blackshades Remote Access Tool," which gave hackers remote control of other people's computers and allowed them to record keystrokes, steal passwords and gain access to personal files.
Hogue, 25, first came to the attention of the FBI in 2010, when, in an effort to advertise the malware, he contacted an undercover agent running a website established as part of a sting targeting the illegal trade in credit card numbers, court papers said.
A sweep by U.S. and European authorities in 2014 resulted in the arrest of 100 people including Alex Yucel, a Swedish citizen who ran Blackshades.
The software was created with Yocel to take over computers' cameras to spy on their owners or to freeze people's computers in exchange for a ransom. It sold for a mere $40.
Blackshades had more than 6,000 customer accounts in more than 100 countries and generated at least $350,000 in revenue by selling the software from September 2010 to April 2014.
In 2015, Yocel pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 4 3/4 years in prison.
Source: NBC News
Blackshades was used to hack into a million computers worldwide. Blackshades' flagship product was the "Blackshades Remote Access Tool," which gave hackers remote control of other people's computers and allowed them to record keystrokes, steal passwords and gain access to personal files. Hogue, 25, first came to the attention of the FBI in 2010, when, in an effort to advertise the malware, he contacted an undercover agent running a website established as part of a sting targeting the illegal trade in credit card numbers, court papers said.
A sweep by U.S. and European authorities in 2014 resulted in the arrest of 100 people including Alex Yucel, a Swedish citizen who ran Blackshades.
The software was created with Yocel to take over computers' cameras to spy on their owners or to freeze people's computers in exchange for a ransom. It sold for a mere $40.
Blackshades had more than 6,000 customer accounts in more than 100 countries and generated at least $350,000 in revenue by selling the software from September 2010 to April 2014.
In 2015, Yocel pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 4 3/4 years in prison.
Source: NBC News
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