Posted by Virus Bulletin on Jan 19, 2005
Spanish authorities detain 37-year-old
The Spanish Civil Guard has announced the arrest of a man suspected of writing and distributing a virus capable of covertly spying on recipients via their webcams, as well as stealing banking information.
It is alleged that the 37-year-old man (somewhat more advanced years than the 'typical' virus writer - Ed), who is known only by the initials J.A.S., distributed the peer-to-peer virus via file-sharing networks. The name of the virus, which was disguised as a music or picture file, has not been revealed.
The Civil Guard said it had been investigating the case in 'Operation Tic-Tac' since July 2004, when a computer user in Alicante used the Civil Guard's website, http://www.guardiacivil.org/, to report a suspicious file on his computer.
Following investigation, the virus was traced to J.A.S., whose computer was seized and found to contain 'hundreds of photographs and recordings'.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Metropolitan Police Force is launching a series of computer crime prevention and response seminars for businesses aimed at improving companies’ incident response plans for managing internal and joint police investigations. Three seminars will be held during 2005 – one for corporate managers, one for security professionals and one for corporate investigators.
Posted on 19 January 2005 by Virus Bulletin
