A 21-year-old U.K. man was arrested for allegedly selling malware online and deploying distributed denial-of-service attacks on online networks like Google, Skype and Pokemon, Bleeping Computer reports.
Authorities arrested Alex Bessell Oct. 31, accusing him of infecting more than 9,000 computers with malware and creating a botnet to launch DDoS attacks that targeted Google, Skype and Pokemon servers.
Mr. Bessell also allegedly designed a crypter, which is a software often used by malware authors to sneak their code past antivirus protection. Authorities claim he operated the AioBuy portal, a website that enables people to sell products online, to market his crypter. Investigators believe Mr. Bessell may have made over $700,000 from operating the service, according to Bleeping Computer, and he faces money laundering charges.
Mr. Bessell is also accused of stealing more than 750 users' passwords, which he intended to use for online fraud. He faces two charges of impairing the operation of a computer following his hacking sprees.
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