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Scottish Hacker Sentenced for 18 Months Imprisonment for Circulating Malware

Recently, a Scottish man (33) was sentenced for 18 months imprisonment. Besides, he was commanded to pay £5,000 for circulating malware-ridden e-mails and compromising confidential data and information.

Matthew Anderson, from Drummuir, Aberdeenshire (UK), was an associate of the m00p virus-writing group that circulated malware during 2005 - 2006 including the famous Stinx Trojan horse, which was extensively circulated around the world. The Stinx Trojan horse included a mention of the m00p group within its code.

Police highlighted that it was Anderson's task to control the operation by creating the infected e-mails and circulating them. Police further stated that the, malware facilitated Anderson to gain control over information stored on the system even without the consent of the system's owner, as reported by Nakedsecurity on November 23, 2010.

Commenting on the issue, Bob Burls, Detective Constable at the MPS (Metropolitan Police Service) Central e-Crime Unit (UK) stated that, this organized cybercrime poisoned a great number of computers across the globe, particularly targeting the UK businesses and innocent netizens. According to Bob, Anderson systematically exploited system users not only for his personal gains but also violated their privacy. He further stated that the, gang used complex computer codes to commit criminal activities, as reported by eWEEK on November 23, 2010.

As per the reports, the investigations lead to the arrests of three men -- including Anderson -- on June 27, 2006. Although no charges were filed against these men, other pleaded guilty in 2008. As per police, several computers were detained apart from the suspects' servers for the purpose of investigation.

According to the police, among various proofs founded by the police, some prominent were the screenshots on Anderson's systems, which were captured from other people's Webcams along with copies of wills, medical reports, passwords lists and other important credentials.

Judge Geoffrey Rivlin, Southwark Crown Court, South London stated that Anderson got huge pleasure from this large-scale attack on innocent netizens, as reported by THE SUN on November 24, 2010.

Judge Geoffrey Rivlin stated that, Anderson's activities were on a nearly unbelievable scale and it was quite difficult to imagine of such a great attack on privacy. He further stated that simply a custodial sentence is acceptable for such an offence, as reported by PCR on November 23, 2010.

Related article: Saskatchewan Taxpayers Alerted of ‘Refund’ E-mail Fraud

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