Hackers Arrested for Massive Cyber Attack
Almost a year ago, PC Pitstop reported on a ransomware attack that took out 123 surveillance cameras days before President Trump’s inauguration. After determining the cameras were infected with malware, it was determined Dharma and Cerber ransomware were also on the systems. Beyond infecting the systems with ransomware, there was evidence the hackers were using the government systems to distribute the ransomware variants.
A malicious document titled USA.txt had been distributed to over 179,000 email addresses found within the infected systems. After these findings were discovered, officials reached out to those who may have been impacted to warn them of the unauthorized intrusion. Unfortunately, for at least one undisclosed company, it was too late.
Last week, NBC News reported two Romanians have been arrested for allegedly being responsible for the act. According to the Department of Justice, Mihai Isvanca and Eveline Cismaru were arrested in Bucharest on December 15, 2017 as they attempted to leave the country. If the two are convicted, they could be punished up to 20 years in prison.
The full criminal complaint is available for download here.
