Spanish police have arrested a Ukrainian hacker who was involved in scareware attacks and had been hiding from international authorities for over a decade.
The Spanish National Police have arrested a Ukrainian manwanted internationally for his involvement in a scareware operationthat took place from 2006 to 2011.
Scareware is a type of malware or deceptive tactic that deceives users by warning them of imaginary threats . The goal is to scare victims and make them worry about their security so that they will purchase a supposed security software or share sensitive information with the attackers.
The scareware operation for which the Ukrainian is accused led to the infection of hundreds of thousands of computers with malware, which was designed to display messages warning users that computers were infected with malware.
See also: DDoS warning for NATO countries
Unsuspecting victims who wanted to get rid of the supposed malware paid $129 for a fake security program.
Hundreds of thousands of users worldwide were affected by this scareware operation, which resulted in the loss of $70 million in total.
On Tuesday, June 11, Spanish authorities arrested the suspect at Airport upon his arrival, after being informed of his scheduled flight to Barcelona.
“The operation was carried out by investigators from the General Information Police Station in coordination with the Provincial Information Brigades of Tenerife and Barcelona and with the El Prat Airport Police Station,” a press release from the Spanish National Police said.
See also: Main Ethscriptions Marketplace hit by hackers
“At the international level, there was support from the FBI and INTERPOL.“.
The arrest was made possible by an Red Notice issued by the United States. Unlike international arrest warrants, an Interpol Red Notice is a request to agencies around the world, urging them to locate and arrest a wanted person pending extradition or other related legal proceedings.
Spanish authorities revealed that the Ukrainian suspect had managed to evade capture by United States authorities for over a decade.
After his arrest, he was brought before a court in Spain, where he was formally taken into custody.
See also: Which ransomware groups are attacking the world's largest companies?
The Internet has brought significant convenience to our daily lives. However, it has also brought some dangers. Scareware is one such danger, as it is a sneaky online scam designed to trick unsuspecting users into paying for a fake software. To protect yourself, always be vigilant, keep your antivirus , and stay away from suspicious links, pop-ups, and emails.
Source: www.bleepingcomputer.com
