Brent Hanson - USAEYES-FRAUD.com
2010-03-14 03:20:47 UTC
"Botherder" Dealt Record Prison Sentence for Selling and Spreading
Malicious Computer Code
Concluding the first prosecution of its kind in the United States, a
wellknown member of the "botmaster underground" was sentenced this
afternoon to nearly five years in prison for profiting from his use of
"botnets" == armies of compromised computers == that he used to launch
destructive attacks, to send huge quantities of spam across the Internet
and to receive surreptitious installations of adware.
Jeanson James Ancheta, 21, of Downey, California, was sentenced to 57
months in federal prison by United States District Judge R. Gary
Klausner in Los Angeles. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Klausner
characterized Ancheta's crimes as "extensive, serious and
sophisticated." The prison term is the longest known sentence for a
defendant who spread computer viruses.
Ancheta pleaded guilty in January to conspiring to violate the Computer
Fraud Abuse Act, conspiring to violate the CAN-SPAM Act, causing damage
to computers used by the federal government in national defense, and
accessing protected computers without authorization to commit fraud.
When he pleaded guilty, Ancheta admitted using computer servers he
controlled to transmit malicious code over the Internet to scan for and
exploit vulnerable computers. Ancheta caused thousands of compromised
computers to be directed to an Internet Relay Chat channel, where they
were instructed to scan for other computers vulnerable to similar
infection, and to remain "zombies" vulnerable to further unauthorized
accesses.
Ancheta further admitted that, in more than 30 separate transactions, he
earned approximately $3,000 by selling access to his botnets. The
botnets were sold to other computer users, who used the machines to
launch distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks and to send
unsolicited commercial email, or spam. Ancheta acknowledged specifically
discussing with the purchasers the nature and extent of the DDOS attacks
or proxy spamming they were interested in conducting. Ancheta suggested
the number of bots or proxies they would need to accomplish the
specified acts, tested the botnets with them to ensure that the DDOS
attacks or proxy spamming were successfully carried out, and advised
them on how to properly maintain, update and strengthen their purchased
armies.
In relation to the computer fraud scheme, Ancheta admitted generating
for himself and an unindicted co-conspirator more than $107,000 in
advertising affiliate proceeds by downloading adware to more than
400,000 infected computers that he controlled. By varying the download
times and rates of the adware installations, as well as by redirecting
the compromised computers between various servers equipped to install
different types of modified adware, Ancheta avoided detection by the
advertising affiliate companies who paid him for every install. Ancheta
further admitted using the advertising affiliate proceeds he earned to
pay for, among other things, the multiple servers he used to conduct his
illegal activity.
Following the prison term, Ancheta will serve three years on supervised
release. During that time, his access to computers and the Internet will
be limited, and he will be required to pay approximately $15,000 in
restitution to the Weapons Division of the United States Naval Air
Warfare Center in China Lake and the Defense Information Systems Agency,
whose national defense networks were intentionally damaged by Ancheta's
malicious code. The proceeds of Ancheta's illegal activity == including
more than $60,000 in cash, a BMW automobile and computer equipment ==
have been forfeited to the government.
Addressing the defendant at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing,
Judge Klausner said: "Your worst enemy is your own intellectual
arrogance that somehow the world cannot touch you on this." This case
was investigated by the Los Angeles Field Office of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation, which received assistance from the Southwest Field
Office of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Western Field
Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
CONTACT: Assistant United States Attorney James M. Aquilina
(213) 894-6875
Release No. 06-051
###
Malicious Computer Code
Concluding the first prosecution of its kind in the United States, a
wellknown member of the "botmaster underground" was sentenced this
afternoon to nearly five years in prison for profiting from his use of
"botnets" == armies of compromised computers == that he used to launch
destructive attacks, to send huge quantities of spam across the Internet
and to receive surreptitious installations of adware.
Jeanson James Ancheta, 21, of Downey, California, was sentenced to 57
months in federal prison by United States District Judge R. Gary
Klausner in Los Angeles. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Klausner
characterized Ancheta's crimes as "extensive, serious and
sophisticated." The prison term is the longest known sentence for a
defendant who spread computer viruses.
Ancheta pleaded guilty in January to conspiring to violate the Computer
Fraud Abuse Act, conspiring to violate the CAN-SPAM Act, causing damage
to computers used by the federal government in national defense, and
accessing protected computers without authorization to commit fraud.
When he pleaded guilty, Ancheta admitted using computer servers he
controlled to transmit malicious code over the Internet to scan for and
exploit vulnerable computers. Ancheta caused thousands of compromised
computers to be directed to an Internet Relay Chat channel, where they
were instructed to scan for other computers vulnerable to similar
infection, and to remain "zombies" vulnerable to further unauthorized
accesses.
Ancheta further admitted that, in more than 30 separate transactions, he
earned approximately $3,000 by selling access to his botnets. The
botnets were sold to other computer users, who used the machines to
launch distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks and to send
unsolicited commercial email, or spam. Ancheta acknowledged specifically
discussing with the purchasers the nature and extent of the DDOS attacks
or proxy spamming they were interested in conducting. Ancheta suggested
the number of bots or proxies they would need to accomplish the
specified acts, tested the botnets with them to ensure that the DDOS
attacks or proxy spamming were successfully carried out, and advised
them on how to properly maintain, update and strengthen their purchased
armies.
In relation to the computer fraud scheme, Ancheta admitted generating
for himself and an unindicted co-conspirator more than $107,000 in
advertising affiliate proceeds by downloading adware to more than
400,000 infected computers that he controlled. By varying the download
times and rates of the adware installations, as well as by redirecting
the compromised computers between various servers equipped to install
different types of modified adware, Ancheta avoided detection by the
advertising affiliate companies who paid him for every install. Ancheta
further admitted using the advertising affiliate proceeds he earned to
pay for, among other things, the multiple servers he used to conduct his
illegal activity.
Following the prison term, Ancheta will serve three years on supervised
release. During that time, his access to computers and the Internet will
be limited, and he will be required to pay approximately $15,000 in
restitution to the Weapons Division of the United States Naval Air
Warfare Center in China Lake and the Defense Information Systems Agency,
whose national defense networks were intentionally damaged by Ancheta's
malicious code. The proceeds of Ancheta's illegal activity == including
more than $60,000 in cash, a BMW automobile and computer equipment ==
have been forfeited to the government.
Addressing the defendant at the conclusion of the sentencing hearing,
Judge Klausner said: "Your worst enemy is your own intellectual
arrogance that somehow the world cannot touch you on this." This case
was investigated by the Los Angeles Field Office of the Federal Bureau
of Investigation, which received assistance from the Southwest Field
Office of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Western Field
Office of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
CONTACT: Assistant United States Attorney James M. Aquilina
(213) 894-6875
Release No. 06-051
###