UK Student Hacker Gets Suspended Jail Sentence Over Malware Scam

A 22 year old student of the UK University, Paul McLoughlin, has been released with a suspended prison sentence after being arrested for utilizing malware to steal users' login credentials for websites related to, as reported by PC World on May 18, 2011.

The Metropolitan Police central e-crime Unit (PCeU) stated that, McLoughlin was held responsible for compromising passwords from around 100 users and 20 user accounts, including one from his own, Salford University, as reported by PC World on May 18, 2011.

The offender scammed preys into installing what was supposed to be a software solution to avoid game licensing which had concealed within it the simply-available and effectual Windows password compromising utility called iStealer.

If downloaded, this tool can search an extensive array of passwords on the computer, comprising even those for e-mail, web browsers, quick messaging, social networking websites, login credentials and his deliberate target, gaming websites and services.

Crimes of McLoughlin came into limelight after a US citizen and iStealer prey got in touch with the Salford University, which further communicated the matter to the police.

On investigating the matter, Police ultimately traced the attack to a software pretending as a gaming utility that had been installed by McLouglin onto the file-sharing networks. Police, working in a close association with the security vendor McAfee and the University of Salford, recognized the encrypted aspects of an FTP server inserted within the malware, a finding that acknowledged McLouglin as a key offender in this instance.

Investigators think that the offender was encouraged by a wish to access free gaming facilities instead of making money through the trick, as he (McLoughlin) got an 8 months sentence - suspended for 12 months.

Commenting on the whole matter, Colin Wetherill, Detective Inspector of the Police Central eCrime Unit stated that, a trial for this specific crime is exceptional and comes under section 3A of the Computer Misuse Act 1990. He added that, in their attempts to maintain the Internet as a secure place, they will dynamically examine and impeach cyber criminals utilizing these tactics, while putting into practice the experience attained to their investigations into those engaged in more grave and planned kinds of cybercrime," as reported by The Register on May 18, 2011.

Related article: US Passes Baton to Asia in Spam Relay

» SPAMfighter News - 5/27/2011