Conficker worm

2011: The Ukrainian SSU announces the participation in detention of cybercriminals. At the same time this security service investigates leak of classified documents from the division

The Ukrainian security service (SSU) said on Thursday that it helped FBI of the USA and other law-enforcement organizations to terminate gang of kiberprestupnok which activities for distribution of the Conficker worm managed to the banking sector more than in $72 million Quickly extending worm was let out in 2008.

The SSU stated that it polled 16 people concerning whom there is the international investigation on the facts of implementation counterfeit anti-virus programs and bank online fraud.

According to the press release of the SSU, respondents showed that they allegedly used the Conficker worm for distribution of antivirus software, with its help they got access to cash cards. The attacks were carried out, generally against citizens of the USA and Europe. On Tuesday in Ukraine nineteen detentions were carried out, the SSU reported.

16 members of criminal grouping were identified by the SSU, including organizers and assistants. They lived in Kiev, Luhansk and Kharkiv. As a result of 30 searches, 19 of which are carried out in Ukraine, in Latvia more than 30 servers are withdrawn and groupings two members are delayed. According to the competent staff of the SSU, in houses and offices of suspects more than 70 computers, about 300 information media, documents, money are withdrawn. In Latvia two persons are arrested: Peteris Sahurovs 22 years and Marina Maslobojeva 23 years. In the USA they are accused of telephone and computer fraud.

The Conficker worm also known as "Downandup", was one of the most serious problems for the systems of a computer security in recent years. It used vulnerability in the software of Microsoft, having infected not less than 3 million computers and, perhaps, more, than 12 million, during creation of a huge botnet.

It created so serious problem that at the end of 2008 a number of the companies and organizations created the working group Conficker Working Group for a research of the malware and search of methods of its blocking. In February, 2009 Microsoft offered $250 thousand as an award for information which will allow to take to court the person or people who created Conficker.

On Wednesday told FBI that worked together with law enforcement agencies of Great Britain, the Netherlands, Latvia, Germany, France, Lithuania and Sweden, for detention of two Latvian criminal communities.

These groups allegedly made tens of millions of dollars on counterfeit warnings of presence of a virus in computers of the victims, and then received more than for $100 for the software which fixed problems.

One of the Latvian criminal groups infected with 960 thousand computers that it cost users $72 million, this digit on Thursday was specified also by the Ukrainian authorities.

Meanwhile, in the SSU of Ukraine the scandal connected with leakage of confidential data from a subsoil of intelligence agency burst recently. According to the preliminary version, it resulted from actions of the insider. According to the Ukrainian edition, leak came from department "To" the SSU in the Kharkiv region. This department specializes in fight against computer crimes.

See Also