Authorities busted transnational cybercrime gang

The authorities of the United States, Germany and some Eastern European countries have rolled up a cybercrime gang suspected of stealing about $ 100 million (about $ 89.3 million), was announced Thursday at the office of police organization Europol in The Hague.

The gang used rogue software known as GozNym. The malware infected computers of 41,000 victims. The malware gave criminals access to login data for banks of victims.

The cyber criminals are said to have been active since the end of 2015. They spread the malware and transferred money from victims. The money was subsequently laundered. The criminals allegedly focused on companies to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars at the same time. The investigation into the gang started in November 2016.

The suspects carried out their criminal activities from computers in Russia, Georgia, Moldova, Bulgaria and Ukraine. The alleged Georgian gang leader, Alexander Konovolov, and a technical assistant, Marat Kazandjian from Kazakhstan, are being charged in Georgia. They are being prosecuted for, among other things, computer breach and theft.

A total of ten suspects are being charged in Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia and the United States. An eleventh suspect was already charged in 2016 for his involvement in the criminal activities around GozNym.

In Germany, two people are suspected of money laundering. Five of the suspects are still on the run. According to the authorities, they are Russians living in the same country. One of them is the brain behind the GozNym malware.

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