Warzone RAT Shut Down by Law Enforcement with Two Arrests Made. Here’s The Rundown.
On Friday, the US Justice Department announced that the Warzone RAT cybercrime enterprise was destroyed due to an international law enforcement operation. US authorities have brought charges against two individuals who allegedly sold Malware and were offering support to users.
Warzone is a remote access trojan that enables users to connect to infected devices and do different activities, such as browsing files, recording keystrokes, stealing credentials, and spying through the computer’s camera.
According to the court’s documents, the FBI secretly purchased and began their analysis of the Warzone RAT. A press release published by the DoJ stated:
“Federal authorities in Boston seized www.warzone.ws and three related domains, which together offered for sale the Warzone RAT malware — a sophisticated remote access trojan (RAT) capable of enabling cybercriminals to surreptitiously connect to victims’ computers for malicious purposes.”
“According to court documents authorizing the seizures, the Warzone RAT provided cybercriminals the ability to browse victim file systems, take screenshots, record keystrokes, steal victim usernames and passwords, and watch victims through their web cameras, all without the victims’ knowledge or permission.”
The two individuals charged with selling and supporting the Warzone RAT include 27-year-old Daniel Meli and 31-year-old Prince Onyeoziri Odinakachi. Meli, from Malta, allegedly provided cybercriminals with malware products and services through online hacking forums. Meli had sold the Warzone RAT and, previously, the Pegasus RAT, distributed through the criminal organization Skynet Organisation. He also offered customer support to the buyers of both the RATs.
The second suspect, 31-year-old Prince Onyeoziri Odinakachi from Nigeria, was charged with conspiracy to commit cybercrimes, such as obtaining access to protected computers and causing unauthorized damage to unprotected computers. Investigators believe Odinakachi offered Warzone RAT customers online customer support between June 2019 and March 2023.
Both Odinakachi and Meli were arrested in their home countries on February 7th and, if convicted, can spend up to 10 years in prison as well as pay a hefty fine.
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