Police dismantle dreaded international cyber-crime gang

Police dismantle dreaded international cyber-crime gang

Cyber Crime. (File Photo: IANS)

London, May 17 (IANS) An international gang of cybercriminals involved in stealing $100 million from over 40,000 victims by infecting their computers with a banking malware has been dismantled.

The GozNym malware that the gang used captured online banking details to access bank accounts, the BBC reported on Thursday.

Investigations conducted in several countries including the US, Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine led to the dismantling of the gang that recruited criminals who advertised their skills on online platforms.

But the Russian who developed the GozNym malware and oversaw its development and management, including leasing it to other cyber-criminals, is on the run, according to the report.

Gang members in four countries including the US, Georgia, Moldova and Geermany have been charged.

The malware was dubbed GozNym because it combines the stealth of a previous malware strain called Nymaim with the capabilities of the powerful Gozi banking trojan, security reporter Brian Krebs wrote in a blog.

The gang used stolen online banking credentials captured by GozNym malware to access victims' online bank accounts and attempt to steal their money through electronic funds transfers into bank accounts controlled by fellow conspirators, he added.

--IANS

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