Thread: Suvarnabhumi Airport: Thai police nab suspect wanted for hacking by FBI

Thailand detains Algerian fugitive wanted by FBI | MCOT.net



Thailand detains Algerian fugitive wanted by FBI

By Digital Media | 7 ม.ค. 2556 18:15

BANGKOK, Jan 7 - Thailand's Immigration Bureau on Monday detained an Algerian national wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for allegedly involved with cybercrime and hacking banking system.

Pol Lt-Gen Phanu Kerdlarpphol, Immigration Bureau chief told a news conference that Hamza Bendelladj, 24, was detained by immigration officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport after arriving from Malaysia, in transit awaiting a flight to Egypt.

The authorities also seized his computer, a notebook, hard disk and a mobile phone.

Gen Phanu said Mr Bendelladj was a fugitive wanted by the FBI for alleged involvement in cyber crime, illegally intrude the commercial bank websites in the United States and many countries worldwide to access the information.

He used his computer expertise to create a computer virus and hacked information of the bank customer accounts and commercial banks since 2008 which caused millions of dollars in damages.

He successfully cashed more than US$10 million in one case.

Mr Bendelladj claimed that he used the money for personal expense and travel. He asserted that he had not engaged with in any cyber crime syndicate or network and having no permanent residence.

The authorities believed that Mr Bendelladj's viruses attacked some 217 computer networks worldwide but no damage found in Thailand. (MCOT online news)

He wont be laughing for long when he gets incarcerated for 40 years and put in a cell with that ponzi scheming cvnt Bernard Madoff , no first class cells ,

Originally Posted by snakeeyes

He wont be laughing for long when he gets incarcerated for 40 years and put in a cell with that ponzi scheming cvnt Bernard Madoff , no first class cells ,

Roger That! I hope he gets extradited to the USA and they throw the book at him with a maximum sentence in a not so nice prison location.
Unfortunately we ALL pay for these scum bags in one way or another.
Amina

he obviously is a genius but scxxxew him ...hope he gets 40 years ...scum like this steal ordinary little peoples life savings and dont care ....

Ahhh but is he in Thailand right now with lots of cash and a corrupt police holding him. I wouldn't be that surprised if he "escaped" in the not too distant future.

he couldn't have chosen a better place to escape

Mind you next thing you know the twat will be working for the FBI cyber crime division, us passport, with all and everything else he needs paid for by the tax payer,
a governament like the Us will not let his brain get wasted,
only us will not know,

Originally Posted by poorfalang

Mind you next thing you know the twat will be working for the FBI cyber crime division, us passport, with all and everything else he needs paid for by the tax payer,
a governament like the Us will not let his brain get wasted,
only us will not know,

He is likely to do jail time but will not have a problem getting a job when released from jail.
Many a IT security specialists has been recruited from the grey hat/black hat hacker communities and turned white hat hackers.
Very sought after by for instance banks.

Secrecy shrouds 'Smiling Hacker' case as US keeps coy
20 Jan 2013

He's said to have made a fortune hacking banks and financial companies, but after his arrest in Bangkok, no one is saying exactly what laws Hamza Bendelladj has broken

The mystery surrounding an Algerian man dubbed the ''smiling hacker'' has deepened, with prosecutors unable to say when he will appear in court and US officials refusing to specify what laws he has broken.


SHUT DOWN: Hamza Bendelladj is escorted by police after his arrest.

Hamza Bendelladj, 24, was arrested on Jan 6 while his plane was on the tarmac at Suvarnabumi airport.

Police said that Mr Bendelladj _ photographed grinning broadly following his arrest _ had hacked into private accounts in 217 banks and financial companies around the world, earning up to US$20 million (595.6 million baht) per transaction and amassing huge amounts in illicit earnings.

He was travelling with his family following a holiday in Malaysia en route to Cairo, Egypt. It is unclear why extradition to the US state of Georgia is being sought and which specific laws Mr Bendelladj is alleged to have broken.

Jenny Shearer, an FBI spokesperson in Washington, told the Bangkok Post Sunday only that Mr Bendelladj was not among the FBI's Top 10 Most Wanted criminals. She said extraditions involve the Department of State and the Department of Justice, which often work with foreign countries through mutual legal assistance treaties.

It has been alleged that Mr Bendelladj operated under multiple handles and aliases including bx1, Daniel Hamza and Daniel Delcore. Some of those aliases were named in a 2012 legal suit by Microsoft seeking to discover the identities of 39 alleged ZeuS botmasters. The complaint was submitted to the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York _ making the extradition destination of Georgia curious.

Brian Krebs, an internet security expert and former Washington Post journalist, wrote on his blog that Mr Bendelladj had likely contacted him via Instant Messenger alias bx1 early last year: ''The Daniel I chatted with was proud of his work, and seemed to enjoy describing successful attacks. In one such conversation, dated January, 2012, bx1 bragged about breaking into the systems of a hacker who used the nickname Symlink and was renowned in the underground for writing complex, custom web injects for ZeuS and SpyEye users. Specifically, Symlink's code was designed to automate money transfers out of victim banks to accounts that ZeuS and SpyEye botmasters controlled.''

Mr Krebs told the Bangkok Post Sunday he is unsure why bx1 would brag about his exploits to him.

''Perhaps he was hoping I would write a story about his exploits. Despite what many experts say _ that most criminal hackers seek riches over renown these days _ many of these individuals are extremely proud and have big egos, which sometimes leads them to welcome attention to their misdeeds.''

The type of bank hacking Mr Bendelladj is alleged to have committed, Mr Krebs pointed out, is unusual.

''It is unfortunately quite common these days even for novice miscreants to operate collections of hacked PCs, or 'botnets'. For those who lack the skills and patience to build their own botnets, there are turnkey solutions sold in the underground that will set buyers up on their own servers and get the entire process running for the buyer.''

The arresting officer, Pol Maj Prot Sertakij from the Immigration Police at Suvarnabumi, said Mr Bendelladj was arrested for banking fraud and was now under the detention of the Criminal Court in Thailand.

''The arrest warrant was issued by the Criminal Court of Thailand,'' he said. ''The arrest warrant specifically mentioned that bail is not allowed for Mr Bendelladj at the request of the US.''

Pol Maj Prot said Mr Bendelladj would have to go through the Thai court process before any ruling is made on extradition.

The prosecutor's department of the Criminal Court could not say when Mr Bendelladj would appear in court next. However, a spokeswoman for the department said more charges would be laid against the Algerian.

Pol Maj Prot said Mr Bendelladj did not resist arrest. ''He just said goodbye to his family and followed us. Then his wife and daughter continued on their journey to Egypt without him.''

bangkokpost.com

Thailand extradites Algerian internet hacker to US
2013-05-04

US Justice Department says Hamza Bendelladj will face charges for his role in developing, marketing, distributing ‘SpyEye’ computer virus.


Arrested January 5 at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok

WASHINGTON - An Algerian sought in connection with the "SpyEye" computer virus designed to steal financial and personal information was extradited by Thailand to the United States to face charges, officials said Friday.

The US Justice Department said Hamza Bendelladj, known by his alias "Bx1," would face charges in federal court in Atlanta, Georgia, for his role in developing, marketing and distributing the malware.

Bendelladj, 24, was charged in a 23-count indictment that was returned on December 20, 2011, and unsealed Friday, including charges of wire fraud, computer fraud and conspiracy.

Officials said Bendelladj was arrested January 5 at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, while he was in transit from Malaysia to Egypt. He was extradited from Thailand on Thursday.

"Hamza Bendelladj has been extradited to the United States to face charges of controlling and selling a nefarious computer virus designed to pry into computers and extract personal financial information," said Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman.

"The indictment charges Bendelladj and his co-conspirators with operating servers designed to control the personal computers of unsuspecting individuals and aggressively marketing their virus to other international cybercriminals intent on stealing sensitive information."

According to court documents, SpyEye was designed to automate the theft of confidential personal and financial information, such as online banking credentials, credit card information, usernames, passwords and other personally identifying information.

Bendelladj and others are accused of having developed, marketed and sold various versions of the SpyEye virus and component parts online from 2009 to 2001.

The Algerian also allegedly operated a server located in the state of Georgia, which controlled computers infected with the SpyEye virus.

The names of others accused in the same indictment were not disclosed in a redacted document released by officials.

middle-east-online.com

Algerian denies US charges he helped develop, sell SpyEye banking Trojan
Sunday, 05 May, 2013

SpyEye program used by computer hackers to steal untold millions, but Algerian extradited to US pleads not guilty to plot to develop and sell it


Sally Yates, prosecutor.
Photo: MCT

An Algerian man pleaded not guilty in a United States court to helping develop and market a computer program that drained millions of dollars from bank accounts around the world.



A 23-count US federal indictment charges Hamza Bendelladj, 24, with wire, bank and computer fraud, and conspiracy. He was extradited from Thailand to the US.

Bendelladj is accused of being involved in a conspiracy to develop and sell SpyEye. The program is a banking Trojan that was implanted onto computers to harvest financial information and drain bank accounts.

Authorities said the malware impacted 253 financial institutions and is responsible for untold amounts of financial theft.

"We're talking millions," prosecutor Sally Yates said. "We don't have the precise number quantified at this point."

Investigators say SpyEye remains active, and authorities are trying to track down hackers who are still using the virus.

Although authorities say he never set foot on US soil, Bendelladj is accused of leasing a virtual server from an unidentified internet company in Atlanta to control computers impacted by SpyEye. The firm was unaware that the man was allegedly using the server for illegal purposes, Yates said.

A second person in the indictment has not been identified. Investigators could not disclose whether the person was in the United States or abroad.
Trojans such as SpyEye can be profitable for cybercriminals. A small group of hackers in eastern Europe arrested in 2010 was able to steal about US$70 million from companies, municipalities and churches in Europe and the US.

SpyEye was designed to automatically steal sensitive information - such as bank account credentials, credit card information, passwords and PINs - after being implanted in victims' computers. After the program took control of a computer, it allowed hackers to use a number of covert techniques to trick victims into giving up their personal information, including data grabbing and presenting victims with a fake bank account page. The information was then relayed to a command and control server, which was used to access accounts.

Bendelladj, indicted in December 2011, was on a trip from Malaysia to Egypt when he was arrested during a layover in Bangkok on January 5. Police seized two laptops, a tablet computer, a satellite phone and external hard drives.

"The federal indictment and extradition of Bendelladj should send a very clear message to those international cybercriminals who feel safe behind their computers in foreign lands that they are, in fact, within reach," Mark Giuliano of the FBI's Atlanta field office said.

If convicted, Bendelladj faces up to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, and up to five years for conspiracy to commit computer fraud. The 21 counts of wire and computer fraud carry maximum sentences of between five and 20 years each. He may also be fined up to US$14 million.

Bendelladj and others allegedly developed and sold various versions of SpyEye and its components on the internet between 2009 and 2011. Cybercriminals were able to customise their purchases to choose specific methods of gathering personal information from victims. Bendelladj and others also allegedly advertised SpyEye on internet forums focused on cybercrime and other criminal activity.

Yates said Bendelladj is not accused of being part of a specific criminal organisation, and he and his associates are not accused of cyberterrorism.

Experts said there is still a vast network of cybercriminals finding more sophisticated ways to remain anonymous.

"At the end of the day, this one arrest, unfortunately, won't cause a lot of reduction in online fraud attempts," said George Tubin, senior security strategist at Trusteer, a provider of cybercrime-prevention programs. "Hopefully it sends a message … that you can be caught and you need to think twice."

This article first appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition on May 05, 2013 as Virus that drains bank accounts

scmp.com