An Australian citizen, Wayne Jacob John Keen, age 24, has been accused of allegedly participating in the development and distribution of malware used by pedophiles and domestic violence offenders.
A type of malware, Remote Access Trojan gives hackers complete remote control over an infected device, enabling them to run programs, log keystrokes, exploit files and data, install other programs, take screenshots, and even record video from the webcam.
The offender is alleged to have developed the remote access trojan (RAT) when he was 15 years old and served as the tool's administrator from 2013 until the government shut it down in 2019.
Malware Execution
In 2019, authorities were able to identify the creator of an IM RAT who goes by the online handle 'Shockwave' as per a cybersecurity firm. Palo Alto Networks reported that it had seen more than 115,000 IM RAT attacks targeted solely at its clients. More than 65,000 samples of the infection were gathered by the security firm.
Advertised as a reliable tool for remote administration, IM RAT has a lifetime license price range of $25 to $100. Its touted features were remote control of Windows servers, remote support, staff monitoring, and remote connections to personal or business computers.
According to the AFP, "The hacker illegally sold the malware to more than 14,500 people in 128 different countries.PayPal users from Australia who purchased IM RAT are identified as respondents on domestic violence orders in a statistically large portion (14.2%) of cases. Additionally, one of these buyers is listed on the Child Sex Offender Register ."
The federal authorities added that the developer has earned between $300,000 and $400,000 since the business began operating in 2013. These funds mainly were used to pay for food deliveries and buy 'other consumable and disposable products.'
A 42-year-old woman who lives in the same home as the accused is identified by The Guardian as the perpetrator's mother and has also been charged with 'dealing with the proceeds of crime.'
In coordination with more than a dozen European law enforcement agencies, 85 search warrants were issued globally as part of the operation, which resulted in the seizure of 434 devices and the detention of 13 people for utilizing the malware for evil.
