Hacker Ring Arrested In Quebec ( Archived) (8)

Read the rest here:



In what the Quebec provincial police say is a first in Canada, they have cracked an alleged ring of 17 hackers, saying it inflicted $45-million in damage in 100 different countries.

The scope of the ring's actions was "500 times more powerful than Mafiaboy," said police Captain Frédérick Gaudreau, alluding to the infamous Montreal hacker who disrupted Amazon, eBay and CNN websites.

Police were reluctant to reveal details, but said the accused planted hidden software called computer worms or Trojan horses on personal, corporate and governmental computers.

The hidden software created so-called botnets, allowing the suspects to control tens of thousands of computers without the knowledge of their legitimate users.

The affected computers were co-opted for data and identity theft, theft of wireless communications and the circulation of spam e-mails and "phishing," the phony corporate-like websites or e-mails used to induce people to give their banking information.