U.S. Department of Justice
“Rapper Bot” malware seized, alleged developer identified and charged
The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) announced charges against the alleged developer and administrator of the “Rapper Bot” DDoS-for-hire botnet. Ethan Foltz, 22, of Eugene, Oregon, allegedly rented the botnet to cybercriminals eho targeted various organizations. The botnet operation itself was seized as part of ‘Operation PowerOff ‘on August 6, during a raid at Foltz’s residence in Oregon. […]
Iranian pleads guilty to RobbinHood ransomware attacks, faces 30 years
An Iranian national has pleaded guilty to participating in the Robbinhood ransomware operation, which was used to breach the networks, steal data, and encrypt devices of U.S. cities and organizations in an attempt to extort millions of dollars over a five-year span. According to a U.S. Department of Justice and an unsealed indictment, 39-year-old man named Sina Gholinejad, also known […]
U.S. seized $8.2 million in crypto linked to ‘Romance Baiting’ scams
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has seized over $8.2 million worth of USDT (Tether) cryptocurrency that was stolen via ‘romance baiting’ scams. Previously referred to as ‘pig butchering,’ in this type of financial fraud victims are manipulated into making investments on fraudulent websites/apps that showcase massive returns. Convinced they’re making a profit, the victims invest […]
US charges operators of cryptomixers linked to ransomware gangs
The U.S. Department of Justice indicted three operators of sanctioned Blender.io and Sinbad.io crypto mixer services used by ransomware gangs and North Korean hackers to launder ransoms and stolen cryptocurrency. Cryptocurrency mixers allow the mixing of deposited crypto assets among many wallet addresses to help obfuscate their source. The services then take a commission from […]
Massive live sports piracy ring with 812 million yearly visits taken offline
The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has taken down one of the world’s largest live sports streaming piracy rings, with over 821 million visits last year. ACE says the Markkystreams Vietnam-based operation was the largest illegal sports streaming service it has shut down to date. The piracy ring primarily targeted audiences across the United States and Canada, streaming sports events […]