We all need to be very careful using our computers. Sherry http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/19/justice/us-global-hacker-crackdown/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 It is nicknamed "creepware," and more than half-a-million people around the world have been prey to its silent computer snooping. Miss Teen USA Cassidy Wolf was one of them in a well-publicized case of hacking associated with the malware called Blackshades. Now, an international crackdown by the FBI and police in 17 countries has brought more than 90 arrests in what authorities hope will be an initial dent in a widespread and growing problem. U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara in New York told reporters that the global investigation "exposed and crippled a frightening form of cyber crime that has affected hundreds of thousands of users around the world." The sweep, capping a two-year operation, was coordinated so suspects didn't have time to destroy evidence. It included the arrest of a Swedish hacker who was a co-creator of Blackshades and who was arrested in Moldova. In total, one of the largest global cyber-crime crackdowns has yielded the arrests of more than 90 people linked to the Blackshades malware, with more than 300 searches conducted, Bharara said. His figures were slightly lower than figures provided earlier to CNN by U.S. officials. The malware, which sells for as little as $40, can be used to hijack computers remotely and turn on computer webcams, access hard drives and capture keystrokes to steal passwords -- without the victim ever knowing it. According to Bharara and the FBI, criminals have used Blackshades for everything from extortion to bank fraud, and it has become one of the world's most popular remote administration tools, or RATs, used for cybercrime in just a few years. Leo Taddeo, chief of the FBI's cybercrime investigations in New York, said the unprecedented coordination with so many police agencies came about because of concern about the fast growth of cybercrime businesses. "These cyber criminals have paid employees, they have feedback from customers -- other cyber criminals -- to continually update and improve their product," Taddeo said recently. While he spoke, agents took calls from counterparts working the case in more than 40 U.S. cities. Blackshades had grown rapidly because it was marketed as off-the-shelf, easy-to-use software, much like legitimate consumer tax preparation software. "It's very sophisticated software in that it is not very easy to detect," Taddeo said. "It can be installed by somebody with very little skills."
