Latvian hacker sentenced to 33 months in prison for scareware scheme
A Latvian hacker was sentenced to 33 months in prison on Wednesday after earning over $150,000 in a “scareware” scheme that infected computers after visiting the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s website in 2010. Peteris Sahurovs, 29, received the sentence for conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He will be deported to Latvia following the sentence. At one time, Sahurovs was among the FBI’s most wanted criminals. From 2009 to 2011, he operated a “bullet-proof” web hosting service in Latvia. The hacker sold server space to criminals who needed a host willing to ignore illegal activity on their servers. “The defendant admitted that he knew his customers were using his servers to perpetrate criminal schemes, including the transmission of malware, fake anti-virus software, spam, and botnets to unwitting victims, and he received notices from Internet governance entities (such as Spamhaus) that his servers were hosting malicious activity,” according to a Department of Justice […]
The post Latvian hacker sentenced to 33 months in prison for scareware scheme appeared first on Cyberscoop.
Continue reading Latvian hacker sentenced to 33 months in prison for scareware scheme