Tag Archive for: indicted

Van Nuys man indicted for allegedly selling ‘trojan’ malware to help others crack computers – Daily News

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Federal authorities on Thursday announced the arrest of a Van Nuys man who allegedly schemed to market and sell malware that gave purchasers control over computers and enabled them to access victims’ private communications, their login credentials and other personal information.

Edmond Chakhmakhchyan, 24, allegedly used the screen name “Corruption.” He was arrested Wednesday by special agents with the FBI. During his arraignment in federal court, he pleaded not guilty to charges contained in a two-count indictment and was ordered back to court on June 4. His bond was set at $70,000.

The indictment charges Chakhmakhchyan with one count of conspiracy to advertise a device as an interception device, to transmit a code to intentionally cause damage to a protected computer and to intentionally access a computer to obtain information, as well as one count of advertising a device as an interception device. Each count carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

The indictment alleges an agreement between the malware’s creator and Chakhmakhchyan in which the defendant allegedly would post ads for the Hive remote access trojan, or RAT, on the Hack Forums website, accept Bitcoin payments for licenses to use the Hive RAT and provide customer service to those who purchased the licenses.

Customers purchasing the malware would transmit Hive RAT to protected computers and gain unauthorized control over and access to those devices, allowing the RAT purchaser to close or disable programs, browse files, record keystrokes, access incoming and outgoing communications and steal victim passwords and other credentials for bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, all without the victims’ knowledge or permission, according to the indictment.

Chakhmakhchyan allegedly began working with the creator of the Hive RAT, previously known as “Firebird,” about four years ago and advertised online the RAT’s many features.

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Chinese Hackers Indicted in New York for Targeting Government

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(TNS) — A band of hackers sent a years-long barrage of malicious e-mails to U.S. politicians, government officials, and private companies as part of a Chinese espionage and intelligence operation, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said.

The feds on Monday announced the indictment of seven members of a Chinese state-run hacking operation, known in the cyber security community as Advanced Persistent Threat 31, running out of Wuhan since 2010. The indicted suspects all live in China, and have not been arrested by U.S. law enforcement agents.

The group sent tens of thousands of phishing e-mails to government and political officials in the U.S., as well as their family members and other contacts, usually pretending to be from prominent American journalists, according to the indictment.


The e-mails had links to what looked like real news articles, but opening the e-mail would activate a tracking link, sending location, device and network data back to a server controlled by the hackers.

They’d then use that info to target home routers and electronic devices, the feds allege.

“This case serves as a reminder of the ends to which the Chinese government is willing to go to target and intimidate its critics, including launching malicious cyber operations aimed at threatening the national security of the United States and our allies,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Monday.

The targets included White House officials and their spouses, officials with the departments of Justice, Commerce, Treasury and State, and senators from both parties across 10 states. The hackers also tried their e-mail schemes on defense contractors, political strategists, commentators and advocates, according to the feds.

In May 2020, the hackers targeted staffers for a presidential campaign — the indictment wouldn’t say which campaign — and sent out tracking e-mails to more political campaigns that November, the feds allege.

Dissidents critical of the Chinese government and their supporters also found themselves in the hackers’ crosshairs, the feds said.

They also used custom malware and “zero-day exploits,” so named because they take…

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Eastern District of California | Carmichael Man Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Child Pornography Offenses

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a three-count indictment today against Sam Moss Kerfoot, 27, of Carmichael, charging him with sexual exploitation of a minor, distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, in April and May 2022, Kerfoot sexually abused a minor and produced visual depictions of the minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. In addition, Kerfoot is alleged to have distributed child pornography in April 2022 and possessed child pornography in June 2023.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force Internet Crimes Against Children unit including the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emily Sauvageau and Alstyn Bennett are prosecuting the case.

If convicted of the charges as alleged, Kerfoot faces a minimum statutory penalty of 25 years in prison, a maximum of 50 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine for sexual exploitation of a minor; a minimum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum of 40 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine for distribution of child pornography; and a minimum of 10 years in prison, a maximum of 20 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine for possession of child pornography. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually…

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‘Bulletproof’ Lolekhosted ransomware hacker indicted

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FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on “oversight of the Federal Bureau of Investigation” and alleged politicization of law enforcement, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., July 12, 2023.

Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

The mastermind behind a ransomware hosting service that allegedly helped criminals collect more than 5,000 bitcoin in ransom from hundreds of victims was indicted in federal court this week, prosecutors announced Thursday. At current prices, that bitcoin would be worth more than $146 million.

Artur Grabowski’s LolekHosted service operated for about a decade and advertised itself as a haven for “everything but child porn,” according to Florida prosecutors. Clients allegedly used the hosting service to deploy ransomware viruses that infected around 400 networks around the world. Ransomware attacks typically lock and encrypt the data on an organization’s computers so they’re unusable until the victim pays a fee.

Grabowski and his co-conspirators allegedly refused to cooperate with law enforcement requests, protected allegedly criminal actors from takedowns, and profited immensely from the service.

Grabowski was charged with computer fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

Grabowski himself is also the subject of a $21.5 million seizure order.

The indictment against the Grabowski was unsealed in Florida court Wednesday. Grabowski remains at large.

Three other unindicted and unnamed co-conspirators were also involved in the alleged scheme, prosecutors said in the charging document.

His “100% privacy hosting” service was seized Tuesday by the IRS’ Criminal Investigation unit and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Grabowski, a Polish national, faces a maximum sentence of 45 years, if he is ever detained and convicted.

Federal prosecutors have stepped up their efforts to curtail ransomware attacks. Earlier this year, the Justice Department launched a dedicated unit focused on combating cyber national security threats.

A string of ransomware prosecutions have also been unsealed in U.S. courts, although with perpetrators scattered around the world, it’s unclear how many will face time behind bars.

WATCH:

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