GameOver Zeus and Cryptolocker: Law enforcement hits gang responsible

If you follow developments in cyber crime you probably saw that Evgeniy Bogachev has been added to the FBI’s Most Wanted list for cyber criminals. Bogachev was identified in U.S. court documents this week as “the leader of a gang of cyber criminals based in Russia and the Ukraine responsible for the development and operation of both the GameOver Zeus and Cryptolocker schemes.”

These two schemes were used to execute a range of despicable cyber crimes that robbed consumers, companies, and even non-profit organizations of millions of dollars. The GameOver Zeus malware created a botnet that helped to spread Cryptolocker, code that was used to encrypt the files of victims and extort money from them in a scheme known as ransomware. But GameOver Zeus was also used to steal personal data and money by carrying out fraudulent banking transactions using the accounts of its victims. (Note that all ESET products have been detecting and removing this malware since 2012 with detection name Win32/Spy.Zbot.AAU, as described by our Virus Radar).

GameOver Zeus and Cryptolocker: Law enforcement hits gang responsible