The Crime Book

129

Cybercriminals exploit the speed,

convenience, and anonymity of the

internet to commit a diverse range of

crimes that know no borders, either

physical or virtual.

See also: Frank Abagnale 86–87

WHITE COLLAR CRIMES

Finding the evidence

For law enforcement agencies in

the US, catching the cybercrooks

behind the anonymous screen

names was a challenging task.

The FBI hired the private computer

security firm Trend Micro to

identify the suspicious bytes that

signal the presence of malware

among the billions of streaming

bits that make up computer code.

The firm put 1,200 researchers on

the case; for four years they

mapped SpyEye’s infrastructure.

They found IP addresses and one

infected computer in Atlanta,

Georgia, which was used as a main

server. It was remotely operated

from Algeria by Bendelladj.

A team of researchers then

impersonated cybercriminals to

infiltrate the online forums used to

distribute SpyEye. By June 2011,

Trend Micro had evidence in place.

The purchase of a SpyEye kit led it

to Panin’s money processor. Even

after the online Gribodemon had

been decisively linked to the real-

world Panin, the FBI had to wait

two more years for him to leave

Russia – which has no extradition

treaty with the US – before it could

act. Panin was finally arrested in

July 2013, when he incautiously

took a vacation in the Dominican

Republic. He was jailed for 9½

years. Bendelladj, captured six

months earlier in Thailand,

received a 15-year sentence. ■

An anonymous hacker

writes a malicious

software program

This programme is offered

for sale on the dark web

Cybercriminals purchase

the program and

adapt it

The data and

identities of hundreds,

thousands, or even

millions of people

can be accessed

and stolen

It’s detective work –

good, old-fashioned

detective work.

Rik Ferguson,

Trend Micro

The rise of cybercrime

Today, cybercrime – defined as

any type of criminal activity

that uses computers or the web

as a tool to steal money, goods,

information, or other assets –

is expanding as rapidly as

legitimate online activities.

Cybercriminals can target

individuals, corporations,

institutions, and even

government departments.

As more people conduct

business online and utilize

cloud storage, firms and

individuals can be powerless

when faced with the innovations

used by hackers. In the case of

hacking tool kits that automate

the theft of credit card and bank

details, even after their creators

are apprehended, their software

continues to circulate online. It

can change form and name as

easily as IP addresses.

The creator of a notorious

piece of malware called Zeus,

which inspired the creation of

SpyEye, has never been caught,

and his or her original source

code has since been leaked,

adapted, and further circulated

by hackers.

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