Security news
Security news21 December 2006
German gang jailed for creating 12 million Euro Trojan horse Porn dialer infected more than 100,000 PCs
The jailed gang infected computers with a Trojan horse that made premium rate telephone calls.
Experts at SophosLabs™, Sophos's global network of virus, spyware and spam analysis centers, have welcomed the sentencing to jail of two men who infected more than 100,000 computers with a Trojan horse that generated more than 12 million Euros ($15.8 million).
A court in Osnabrück sentenced one of the men to 4 years in jail, and the other to a 39 month sentence, for their part in a criminal scheme that subverted innocent internet users' PCs with a Trojan horse that dialled premium rate 0190 phone numbers to contact a pornographic website. The men, one aged 31 and the other 35 years old, generated over 12 million Euros in income from the premium rate phone calls made via infected PCs' modems between July 2002 - September 2003.
"These hackers infected a staggering 100,000 PCs and forced them to dial a premium rate number to make them cold, hard cash. The German authorities have done well in bringing these offenders to justice," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "All computer users need to put in place a proper defense to ensure their computers do not become targeted by internet criminals. Every PC should be properly defended by up-to-date anti-virus software, firewalls, and the latest security patches."
Such was the scale of the operation that the prosecution asked the court to fine the men 7.75 million Euros in addition to the jail sentence, however this request was rejected for legal reasons.
In the summer, two other men were jailed for 18 and 22 months in connection with the case.
"Other hackers should look long and hard at the punishment these men have received and ask themselves whether they really think internet crime is a career they wish to continue pursuing," continued Cluley.
Sophos recommends that all computer users should ensure that they are running an automatically updated anti-virus product, security patches and firewall software.
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About Sophos
Sophos enables enterprises all over the world to secure and control their IT infrastructure. Sophos's network access control, endpoint, web and email solutions simplify security to provide integrated defenses against malware, spyware, intrusions, unwanted applications, spam, policy abuse, data leakage and compliance drift. With over 20 years of experience, Sophos protects over 100 million users in nearly 150 countries with its reliably engineered security solutions and services. Recognized for its high level of customer satisfaction and powerful yet easy-to-use solutions, Sophos has received many industry awards, as well as positive reviews and certifications.
Sophos is headquartered in Boston, US and Oxford, UK. More information is available at www.sophos.com
See also:
- Dial-up internet users warned of premium-rate telephone fraud
- Zelig virus suspect charged in Italy for stealing 100,000 Euros with premium-rate call scam
- Premium rate virus writer sentenced after stealing 104,000 Euros in three days
- Ireland bans calls to 13 countries to tackle premium rate telephone fraud
- Sign up now for free notification of new viruses found in the wild
