Pharma Wars: ‘Google,’ the Cutwail Botmaster
Summary: Krebs on Security reported that a hacker known as "Google" developed and rented the Cutwail spam botnet, which M86 Security said was responsible for about 22 percent of daily worldwide spam after the Rustock takedown. Leaked SpamIt affiliate data showed Google used close to a dozen accounts and earned nearly $175,000 in commissions, while chat logs and payment records tied the operation to a WebMoney purse opened in 2004 under the name Dmitry Nechvolod.
Why it matters: One botmaster's rented infrastructure carried roughly a fifth of the world's daily spam, and by 2009 it was being hired by the Ukrainian JabberZeuS crew to spread malware for cyber heists. The trail that identified him was not technical wizardry but a reused mobile number and a WebMoney account opened in 2004.
Read the original at Krebs on Security ↗
- Topics
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