ABC News is reporting that scores have been arrested in 'Blackshades' malware-related raids around the world.
The FBI and law enforcement officials in more than a dozen countries have made scores of arrests in cases involving Blackshades, malicious software that allows users to surreptitiously peep into the computers and web cameras of others. The targets for law enforcement included the creators and administrators of Blackshades.
Last year 20-year-old Jared James Abrahams was arrested for 'sextorting' Miss Teen USA using Blackshade. He pleaded guilty in November and was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
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Scores Arrested in Blackshade Malware Raids
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(Score: 2) by Subsentient on Tuesday May 20 2014, @04:26AM
I hope they get just enough jail time to do some good, but no more than that. But yeah, jail time.
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 1) by Darth Turbogeek on Tuesday May 20 2014, @04:36AM
More likely the NSA will offer them a job placement
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Dunbal on Tuesday May 20 2014, @04:43AM
Shame on them. Only the government should be able to do this. Didn't they know?
On the other hand and more seriously, couldn't a creative defense team build a case based on "well if the government is allowed to do it without a warrant, why isn't a private citizen"?
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Tuesday May 20 2014, @11:15AM
It would be really interesting to use this type of legal backfiring ;-)
(Score: 1, Troll) by Kilo110 on Tuesday May 20 2014, @11:25AM
Wouldn't work. Governments necessarily has a number of rights that ordinary citizens don't have.
(Score: 2) by Dunbal on Tuesday May 20 2014, @11:36AM
Yes but one expects these rights to be written down in the form of law. Clearly if the government is not breaking laws because there is no "written" law that covers this, then a citizen can't be held to such invisible laws either, right?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 20 2014, @01:42PM
What these people did was racketeering, extortion, and wire taping (all with extensive laws both state and federal). Yeah they are going to jail. However, if you feel they should 'get away with it' because 'someone else did', then just wow... These people are amoral scum who are abusing your fellow man. Though I have used the opportunity as an education tool for people I know who are vulnerable to this sort of thing. Dont click on random things from the internet unless you are prepared to fix it yourself.
Clearly if the government is not breaking laws
They are but as typical of gov types and this admin they are weaseling around to get out of it instead of manning up and say 'its wrong we will make sure it does not happen again'. Like many criminals before them. Getting away with it and doing the right thing are not the same thing. The people doing the mass surveillance of our nation do not make that distinction. Just like the dicks who were spying on their 'slaves'.
there is no "written" law
Oh there is. Does not mean they follow it. As I tell my wife when she says 'they cant do that', well they just did. When she means they 'shouldnt' do that.
You seem surprised they lied about it. They are spooks, that is what they do for a living. Opsec is paramount and to hell with the law.
(Score: 2) by Subsentient on Tuesday May 20 2014, @04:30PM
BRAVO! Well said! Bravo! :^)
"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -Jiddu Krishnamurti
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Dunbal on Tuesday May 20 2014, @05:41PM
"Opsec is paramount and to hell with the law."
Which is why you get the country you live in. I prefer countries where the law applies to everyone and where government does not assume a right just because there is no specific law against a specific thing they want to do. Laws take rights away from the citizen, who has the natural right to anything you can imagine. But government has absolutely zero rights except those specifically granted to it by specific laws. That's the way it was in the beginning and that's the way it should be if government is to serve the people.
(Score: 3, Informative) by bugamn on Tuesday May 20 2014, @02:11PM
Krebs on Security [krebsonsecurity.com] has a few more things to say, including photos from posts from users that were met by police.
(Score: 2) by tynin on Tuesday May 20 2014, @05:43PM
That got me thinking that life as a security researcher must be filled with potential criminal landmines. Lets say you acquired a copy of blackshades for pure research, to see what the black hats are doing. How can you prove you had no intent on utilizing the software? Seems no different than the catalogs of viruses that are available if you know where to look. I've examined my fair share of exploits just out of sheer curiosity. The legal arms of the world don't care enough to take that into consideration, I would imagine.
Still, I did get a bit of schadenfreude reading those forum pics.
(Score: 2) by bugamn on Wednesday May 21 2014, @02:21PM
I had similar thoughts, but reading the posts it seems like the majority of the affected are just kids that want to mess with other people and thought they could buy software to do so.