- Apr 21, 2016
- 4,370
Now that Russian hacker Pyotr Levashov, also known as Severa, has been arrested in Spain, the US authorities are trying to dismantle his massive botnet which was used to send hundreds of millions of spam emails every year.
According to a statement from the US Justice Department, an effort to take down the Kelihos botnet is being launched. Kelihos is a global network of infected Windows computers which were used to carry spam attacks advertising various fraud schemes and counterfeit drugs, but also to harvest passwords and infect devices with malware.
The announcement comes after news of Levashov's arrest has reached all corners of the world. Severa has allegedly been operating the botnet since 2010. In fact, he currently ranks seventh on the World's Ten Worst Spammers list, according to Spamhaus, a spam-tracking group.
“The operation announced today targeted an ongoing international scheme that was distributing hundreds of millions of fraudulent e-mails per year, intercepting the credentials to online and financial accounts belonging to thousands of Americans, and spreading ransomware throughout our networks. The ability of botnets like Kelihos to be weaponized quickly for vast and varied types of harms is a dangerous and deep threat to all Americans, driving at the core of how we communicate, network, earn a living, and live our everyday lives,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco.
He adds that the success in disrupting Kelihos was the result of strong cooperation between private industry experts and law enforcement, as well as the use of "innovative legal and technical tactics."
Acting US Attorney Bryan Schroder for the District of Alaska added that cybercrime is a worldwide problem, but one that infects its victims directly through the computers and personal electronic devices that we use every day.
Read more: Feds Start Dismantling Kelihos Botnet After Russian Hacker's Arrest in Spain
According to a statement from the US Justice Department, an effort to take down the Kelihos botnet is being launched. Kelihos is a global network of infected Windows computers which were used to carry spam attacks advertising various fraud schemes and counterfeit drugs, but also to harvest passwords and infect devices with malware.
The announcement comes after news of Levashov's arrest has reached all corners of the world. Severa has allegedly been operating the botnet since 2010. In fact, he currently ranks seventh on the World's Ten Worst Spammers list, according to Spamhaus, a spam-tracking group.
“The operation announced today targeted an ongoing international scheme that was distributing hundreds of millions of fraudulent e-mails per year, intercepting the credentials to online and financial accounts belonging to thousands of Americans, and spreading ransomware throughout our networks. The ability of botnets like Kelihos to be weaponized quickly for vast and varied types of harms is a dangerous and deep threat to all Americans, driving at the core of how we communicate, network, earn a living, and live our everyday lives,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco.
He adds that the success in disrupting Kelihos was the result of strong cooperation between private industry experts and law enforcement, as well as the use of "innovative legal and technical tactics."
Acting US Attorney Bryan Schroder for the District of Alaska added that cybercrime is a worldwide problem, but one that infects its victims directly through the computers and personal electronic devices that we use every day.
Read more: Feds Start Dismantling Kelihos Botnet After Russian Hacker's Arrest in Spain
