FBI IDs identity thieves; 1 million computers affected
ABC News has learned the FBI is targeting a small number of suspected hackers who allegedly took over thousands of personal computers secretly and used them to steal identities and send out massive amounts of spy and spam ware. The FBI says they have identified 1 million computer addresses that have been affected. It’s called “botnetting” — where criminals turn other people’s computers into servers and then use them for illicit activity.
The FBI plans to use its victim assistance program to contact the many victims who have had their computers hijacked.
“The majority of victims are not even aware that their computer has been compromised or their personal information exploited,” said FBI Assistant Director James Finch of the Cyber Division.
“An attacker gains control by infecting the computer with a virus or other malicious code and the computer continues to operate normally. Citizens can protect themselves from botnets and the associated schemes by practicing strong computer security habits to reduce the risk that your computer will be compromised.”
FBI spokesman Richard Kolko added, “The FBI has issued this release and public alert so that consumers will be aware of the threat of botnets and take appropriate security precaution.”
“It is difficult without analyzing the individual computer or network to determine if you are a victim of a botnet. In regards to the more than one million victim IP addresses uncovered in Operation Bot Roast, the FBI is working closely with industry and other law enforcement agencies to identify the owners of these IP addresses.”
“Citizens can protect themselves from botnets and the associated schemes by practicing strong computer security habits to reduce the risk that a computer will be compromised.”
To date, the federal government has charged or arrested the following individuals for similar computer fraud and abuse:
James C. Brewer of Arlington, Texas, is alleged to have operated a botnet that infected Chicago area hospitals. This botnet infected tens of thousands of computers worldwide. (FBI Chicago)
Jason Michael Downey of Covington, Kentucky, is charged with an Information with using botnets to send a high volume of traffic to intended recipients to cause damage by impairing the availability of such systems. (FBI Detroit)
Robert Alan Soloway of Seattle, Washington, is alleged to have used a large botnet network and spammed tens of millions of unsolicited email messages to advertise his website from which he offered services and products. (FBI Seattle)