The FBI announced Slovenian police have arrested the person accused of creating the malware behind the notorious Mariposa botnet.
Law enforcement officials have identified and arrested the person they said
is the mind behind one of the largest botnets on the Web.
According to the FBI, the Slovenian Criminal Police identified and arrested
a 23-year-old known as "Iserdo," who stands accused of
creating malware known as "Butterfly Bot" that was used to
build the Mariposa botnet. Mariposa is believed to have infected between 8
million and 12 million computers. The malware's target: credit card and bank
account information, as well as passwords for Websites and financial
institutions.
From 2008 to 2010, authorities allege Iserdo sold Butterfly Bot to
cyber-criminals worldwide. In turn, these individuals developed networks of
infected bots, of which Mariposa was the largest and most notorious, the FBI
stated. In addition to selling Butterfly Bot, Iserdo developed customized
versions for certain customers and created and sold plug-ins to augment the
botnet's features and functionality.
The arrest follows three others by the Spanish Guardia Civil in February
following a two-year investigation that also involved the FBI and the Slovenian
Criminal Police.
"In the last two years, the software used to create the Mariposa botnet
was sold to hundreds of other criminals, making it one of the most notorious in
the world," said FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III, in a statement. "These
cyber intrusions, thefts, and frauds undermine the integrity of the Internet
and the businesses that rely on it; they also threaten the privacy and pocketbooks
of all who use the Internet."
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