Tokyo police swoop on hentai malware crooks

Two Japanese men have been arrested on suspicion of fraud after being linked to the recent outbreak of 'hentai' malware scams which posted the personal details of infected users online.

The Daily Yomiuri newspaper reported that Tokyo police made what was the first arrest in Japan on suspicion of fraud using a computer virus, and only the second time in the country that virus writers have been arrested.

The malware scam worked by planting malicious code on a file sharing web site disguised as a version of the popular hentai or adult-themed games. Attempting to install the file brings up an online form requesting personal details.

The malware collects this information, along with screenshots of the victim's computer and other identifiable information such as operating system version and browser favourites, which are then placed on a publicly available web site, according to a blog post by Trend Micro senior security analyst Rik Ferguson.

The two men are also accused of sending emails to their victims promising to remove these details for a fee.

Around 5,000 personal computers have been infected with the virus, and the two suspects allegedly defrauded several people of several tens of thousands of yen, according to the Yomiuri.

Ten thousand yen is about $130 Australian dollars.