Global ransom hackers raid

Around 100 people in 16 countries have been arrested in an investigation into software that seizes webcam and computer control.

The malicious software – or malware – is known as BlackShades RAT (Remote Access Tool) and it was sold complete with ‘ransom notes’ which allowed users to extort money from victims.

The BlackShades programme allows hackers to steal personal information, hijack webcams and intercept keystrokes in order to gain password information.

The programme also allowed the user to lock files, preventing computer owners from gaining access until they paid a ransom.

Ransom notes then warned the victim that they had been hacked and would have to pay to have their computer unlocked. Bank account details where the victim could pay the ransom were included.

America’s FBI and police in the UK as well as Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Moldova, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada and Chile were involved in the operation.

They raided 359 properties and seized cash, firearms, drugs and more than 1,000 data storage devices. They arrested 97 people in total.

Koen Hermans, an official from the EU criminal investigation unit Eurojust, said: “This case is a strong reminder that no one is safe while using the internet.

“It should serve as a warning and deterrent to those involved in the manufacture and use of this software.”

The software could also be used to trigger a “denial of service” cyber-attack which would cause websites to crash.

Reportedly Miss Teen USA winner Cassidy Wolf, 19, was a victim of BlackShades in 2013.

The teen’s webcam was hacked and she was targeted to pay money or face having compromising photos leaked on the web.

Jared James Abrahams, 20, from California, pleaded guilty to hacking Ms Wolf and other computers and then threatening to post photographs online. He was jailed for 18 months.