March 26, 2018 -- Some good news for a change!
Police in Spain have arrested an individual identified as Denis K. who is believed to be the mastermind behind the Carbanak (also known as Cobalt) malware. The malware was used in attacks against financial institutions that netted the alleged thieves nearly 1 billion euros ($1.25 billion USD.)
Europol said the Carbanak gang —also known as Cobalt— had carried out over 100 hacks across 40 different countries, stealing over €1 billion ($1.24 billion), with a hack average of €10 million ($12.4 million) per heist.
The arrest of the Carbanak leader is expected to hinder the group's operations, if not kill it entirely. Authorities have not released the man's name, but only said he's been arrested in the city of Alicante, Spain, after a massive and lengthy investigation that included officers and support from Europol, the FBI, the private cyber-security sector, the banking sector, and the Spanish, Romanian, Belarussian, and Taiwanese national police forces.
Excellent work, congrats to everyone involved this arrest. A great example of how international cooperation between law enforcement agencies can deal with cybercrime. Here is an InfoGraphic how this gang operated.
