Cyber gang members extradited from UK

Alleged cyber criminals from Russia and Ukraine have been accused of using malware in order to steal millions of dollars. The gang included two members extradited from Britain.

One of the targets was a religious order, the Franciscan Sisters of Chicago, which saw more than £77,000 taken from its account with the Bank of America.

The nine members are accused of infecting thousands with the ‘Zeus’ banking Trojan several years ago, and stealing passwords along with internet bank account numbers, according to the Nebraska federal court.

Only two of the gang appeared in court as a result of British police intervention. Ukraine nationals Yuriy Konovalenko and Yevhen Kulibaba have been extradited from Britain to the US, with the Met Police receiving credit for providing substantial help to the Omaha Cyber Task Force.

The gang allegedly used Zbot or Zeus malware to obtain passwords, RSA SecureID token codes, account numbers, PIN numbers and other personal data in a bid to gain control of their victims’ internet banking accounts. From there, they managed to transfer millions of dollars into accounts of money-mules based in the US, who subsequently wired the funds abroad to the cyber-gang.

Cyber crime is a global epidemic and sadly, the UK is apparently playing a part in that. Large organisations may be more of an obvious target for attacks, but it is important that all businesses have a level of security in place. This is why the more businesses become aware of potential risks, the more information security recruitment we will see.