Norwegian police and Europol have arrested five people last month as part of a joint operation who it is believed to be behind the MegalodonHTTP remote access trojan.

The men were charged them with possessing, using and selling malware, including RATs (remote access trojans). The arrested men were located in various European countries.

Damballa's threat researcher Loucif Kharouni said: "We are not at liberty to divulge the MegalodonHTTP author's real identity, but we can confirm that the person behind the handle Bin4ry is no longer active or doing business."

According to researchers, the malware was “not very powerful” and “requires that .NET is installed on a device to run properly." This malware is sold on HackForum. "Some criminals would refer to it as skid malware, or script kiddies, but its low price makes it attractive for others.”

James Maude, senior security engineer at endpoint security software firm Avecto, said: "Even with a low level of technical skill it is possible to build a malware platform that can be sold to cyber-criminals. This particular malware product sold for between $35 and $100 [£24-£69], a price that reflected its quality. The more advanced exploit kits cost $700 [£480] per month upwards and require personal recommendations to even gain access to the marketplace."

Source: SCMagazine