A US court recently unsealed a restraining order against a gang of alleged cybercrooks, based on a legal complaint from Google. The criminals, known as the CryptBot crew, are accused of ripping off Google trademarks, running pay-per-install services that inject malware onto victims’ computers, and operating a botnet to steal personal data from hundreds of thousands of US victims. The court order authorizes Google to identify network providers whose services make the criminality possible and to “[request] that those persons and entities take reasonable best efforts” to stop the malware and the data theft in its tracks. It also allows Google to “amend [its list of network locations to block] if it identifies other domains, or similar identifiers, used by Defendants in connection with the Malware Distribution Enterprise.” The restraining order demands that the criminals stop distributing malware, running a botnet, stealing victims’ data, and selling that data. It also warns that anyone who helps the criminals cash out their ill-gotten gains will be in trouble.
To reduce risk of zombie malware compromise, it is important to stay away from sites offering unofficial downloads of popular software, be wary of search engine results, run real-time malware blocking tools, and never be tempted to go for a pirated or cracked program.
Key Points:
• A US court recently unsealed a restraining order against a gang of alleged cybercrooks, based on a legal complaint from Google.
• The criminals, known as the CryptBot crew, are accused of ripping off Google trademarks, running pay-per-install services that inject malware onto victims’ computers, and operating a botnet to steal personal data from hundreds of thousands of US victims.
• The court order authorizes Google to identify network providers whose services make the criminality possible and to “[request] that those persons and entities take reasonable best efforts” to stop the malware and the data theft in its tracks.
• The restraining order demands that the criminals stop distributing malware, running a botnet, stealing victims’ data, and selling that data. It also warns that anyone who helps the criminals cash out their ill-gotten gains will be in trouble.
• To reduce risk of zombie malware compromise, it is important to stay away from sites offering unofficial downloads of popular software, be wary of search engine results, run real-time malware blocking tools, and never be tempted to go for a pirated or cracked program.