Il Gran Giurì federale di Austin (Texas – USA), nell’ambito di un’operazione internazionale di contrasto alla cyber crime, announced that it has arrested a 26-year-old Ukrainian citizen in the Netherlands for his alleged role in designing and managing a highly insidious malware known as Raccoon Infostealer, which has infected millions of personal computers worldwide.
According to U.S. authorities, the Ukrainian citizen, currently detained in the Netherlands following an international arrest warrant issued by U.S. judicial authorities, allegedly managed the creation and initial spread of the Raccoon Infostealer malware, a malware-as-a-service, or “MaaS.”
In fact, criminals interested in using the illegal platform to steal personal data from victims could use Raccoon Infostealer simply by “renting” access to the malware for about $200 per month, paid in cryptocurrency. These individuals then used various tricks, such as phishing via email, to install the malware on the personal computers of unsuspecting victims.
Raccoon Infostealer was thus able to obtain personal data of the affected users, including login credentials, financial information, and other personal records. This information could have been used to commit further financial crimes or sold to others to commit new crimes, as well as exchanged on cybercrime-oriented Dark Web forums.
The FBI, in collaboration with the Dutch law enforcement agencies, the Public Prosecutor's Office of Brescia and the Special Unit for the Protection of Privacy and Technological Fraud of the Guardia di Finanza of Rome, dismantled the digital infrastructure supporting Raccoon Infostealer, rendering the malware offline. Through various investigative steps, the FBI collected stolen data from many personal computers that had been infected by Raccoon Infostealer, the exact number of which has yet to be quantified.
Additionally, FBI agents identified more than 50 million unique credentials and forms of identification (email addresses, bank accounts, cryptocurrency addresses, credit card numbers, etc.) among the stolen data, which is why it is assumed that there could be millions of potential victims around the world, including Italians (the credentials referring to email addresses alone appear to exceed four million).
The Ukrainian citizen who created and operated the Raccoon Infostealer malware, awaiting extradition to the United States, is accused of committing several cyber crimes, wire fraud, and money laundering.
The US Authorities, taking into account the valuable assistance provided during the international investigations that involved the Italian territory regarding the presence of servers on which parts of the malicious software were installed ready for distribution and which were seized, wanted to thank the Italian Ministry of Justice, the Public Prosecutor's Office of Brescia and the Special Unit for the Protection of Privacy and Technological Fraud of the Guardia di Finanza.
The results obtained therefore confirm the commitment made by the Judicial Authority and the Guardia di Finanza in a sector, such as that of cybercrime, characterised by evident social danger, notable criminal depth, substantial and almost anonymous profits and intrinsic technological characteristics that go beyond national borders.
Article published on 26 October 2022 - 14:05
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