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Cyber Risks · Krebs on Security

Meet Paunch: The Accused Author of the Black Hole Exploit Kit

Summary: Russian authorities arrested and charged a 27-year-old malware author known as "Paunch" in October, alleged to have created and distributed the Blackhole exploit kit, which Group-IB says had more than 1,000 customers and earned him $50,000 per month. Blackhole, first seen in 2010, rented for $500 to $700 a month, with "crypting" services available for an extra $50, and the MVD estimates Paunch and his gang earned more than 70 million rubles, roughly $2.3 million.

Key Takeaway: Most of Paunch's customers used Blackhole to grow botnets powered by Zeus and Citadel banking Trojans aimed at consumers and small businesses, and after his arrest his exploit-buying partner J.P. Morgan raised his zero-day budget from $200,000 to $450,000 to build a new kit.

Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗

Topics
Data Breaches
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