Feds pounce on $50k-a-month botnet theft ring

A 19-year-old Argentinean teenager, whose identity has not been revealed, could face up to 10 years behind bars after being arrested and charged with stealing 50,000 a month from gaming and money transfer sites.

The perpetrator reportedly ran a botnet of thousands of computers that were taken over with malware in a bid to remain undetected.

Argentinean police initiated the aptly named ‘Operation Zombie' in 2012 when the owner of a web hosting service reported that a hacker was intercepting funds.

Authorities raided the home of the 19-year-old in July and seized computer equipment, including what was reported to be a command-and-control server. The operation led to the arrest of six others.

This article originally appeared at scmagazineus.com