LONDON – A British ransomware attacker who ran a global blackmail scam worth many millions of pounds has been jailed for more than six years. Zan Qaiser, a computer science student from Barking in Essex, embedded malware into adverts he bought on porn sites. He blackmailed people who clicked on the adverts downloaded the malware.
Working With Russians Behind Angler Exploi Kit
Britain’s National Crime Agency said that he had associated with Russians thought to be behind the Angler Exploit Kit. He used it for his attack along with Reveton, which locks a user’s browser. He told victims to pay the ransom via cryptocurrency.
In total, they said Mr. Qaiser received £700,000. However, this figure could be significantly higher.
Mr. Qaiser is thought to have started his cyber attacks in at least September 2012. They continued until December 2018. When the online advertising agencies realized what Mr. Qaiser was using the ad space for and tried to stop him, he blackmailed them too. He instigated DDoS attacks against at least two of the firms.
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Nigel Leary, NCA Senior Investigating Officer, said: “This was one of the most sophisticated, serious and organized cybercrime groups the National Crime Agency has ever investigated. The group owned and operated the Angler Exploit Kit – one of the most successful and closely guarded pieces of malicious software ever developed by the cybercrime community.”
Mr. Leary added the the FBI and US Secret Service had arrested people connected to the malware campaign.