As part of a global crackdown on the creators, sellers, and users of Blackshades Remote Access Tool (RAT), around 97 individuals were reportedly in custody over the malicious commercial software. The software was apparently used to capture naked photos of the 2013 Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf, the Telegraph said.
Blackshades RAT allows an individual to remotely seize control of another one's computer. The individual then could access and view documents, record computer keystrokes and activate their webcam to take stealth photos and videos. Moreover, the software could also allow an individual to encrypt files in order to get ransom money in exchange for the release of the said files.
The UK paper said that the software gained national attention in the US when it was revealed that 20 year-old Jared James Abrahams had threatened the pageant winner of posting the naked photos of her in exchange of a naked video. Abrahams was sentenced to 18 months in prison later for his cybercrime.
The arrests, which was done over the course of two days this week, involved 359 home searches, of which 17 arrests were made in the UK alone. Over a thousand data storage devices from the suspects were seized bu European law enforcement agency Europol, which include computers, laptops, mobile telephones, routers, external hard drives and USB memory sticks. There were also substantial quantities of cash, illegal firearms and drugs gathered by international police during the two-day operation.
National Crime Agency's National Cyber Crime Unit deputy director Andy Archibald said about the arrests, "Criminals throughout the UK and across the world are finding out that committing crimes remotely offers no protection from arrest. The unique scale of this cyber operation shows what can happen when law enforcement agencies at local, national and international level work together to tackle the perpetrators and help keep people safe."
