U.S. and European authorities announced on Thursday that ten people have been charged in connection with malicious software attacks that infected tens of thousands of computers and caused more than $100 million in financial losses.
The malware enabled cybercriminals from Eastern Europe to take remote control of infected computers and siphon funds from victims’ bank accounts. It targeted companies and institutions across all sectors, including a Washington law firm, a church in Texas, a furniture business in California and a casino in Mississippi.
The defendants come from six nations and several are awaiting prosecution in Europe. An 11th defendant in a related case was extradited to the U.S. from Bulgaria in 2016 and pleaded guilty last month in federal court in Pittsburgh, where Thursday’s case was brought. The charges include conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
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