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Alleged ZeuS Botmaster Arrested For Stealing $100M From US Banks

Posted by timothy on from the stumbling-block-on-the-career-path dept.

Trailrunner7 writes "A 24-year-old Algerian man remains in a Thai jail awaiting extradition to the United States, where he is suspected of masterminding more than $100 million in global bank heists using the ZeuS and SpyEye Trojans. Malaysian authorities believe they've apprehended the hacker Hamza Bendelladj, who they say has been jetsetting around the world using millions of dollars stolen online from various banks. He was arrested at a Bangkok airport en route from Malaysia to Egypt. The hacker had developed a considerable reputation as a major operator of ZeuS-powered botnets and bragged about his exploits"

5 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. moral of the story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't spend money like an brain-dead Arkansas lotto winner if you steal millions of dollars from US victims using malware.

    1. Re:moral of the story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      What? Isn't that Obama, Bernanke, Geithner, and the rest of the Legislative branch of the US government? The thing is, only the little guy gets arrested and punished for theft, but if you're a big hedge fund or banker John Corzine type, you get away with murder.

    2. Re:moral of the story by evil_aaronm · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I think AC was pointing to the fact that, rather than hold the people who caused the financial meltdown and subsequent bailout responsible, the authorities let them walk with their ill-gotten profits from their financial shenanigans. Isn't it up to the authorities to a) prevent these things; and / or b) prosecute them? We prosecute a botnet master who brags about his exploits, but we let walk those white collar criminals that took even more.

  2. Bragging. Always the same.... by gweihir · · Score: 2, Insightful

    These people may have some superior specialized skills, but personality-wise, they are retarded. The same can incidentally be found in a lot of CEOs and high-placed government officials. Seems we promote the scum to the top, and those that cannot get promoted turn to crime instead in order to implement their delusions of grandeur.

    --
    Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
  3. Loose Lips Sink Ships by dav1dc · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "The hacker had developed a considerable reputation as a major operator of ZeuS-powered botnets and bragged about his exploits"

    Seems if he had just enjoyed the 100M and kept his mouth shut they might not have figured out who he is...