An Australian man, 24, who sparked a global law enforcement operation for allegedly creating and selling spyware purchased by domestic violence perpetrators and other criminals, has been charged by the AFP.
The man, who was 15 years old when he allegedly created the Remote Access Trojan (RAT), was scheduled to appear in Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday (29 July, 2022). The matter was adjourned until 19 August 2022. In a world first for any law enforcement agency, the AFP was not only able to identify the alleged Australian offenders who bought the RAT but also identified the Australian victims who were targeted. AFP investigators served a summons on the man at his Melbourne home on 6 July, 2022, to face six charges for his alleged role in creating, selling and administering the RAT between 2013 and 2019. A woman, 42, who lives at the same Frankston home as the man, was served a summons to face one count of dealing with the proceeds of crime. She also faced Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday (29 July, 2022).
It will be alleged the Frankston man engaged with a network of individuals and sold the spyware, named Imminent Monitor (IM), to more than 14,500 individuals across 128 countries.
