Romanian national extradited to the US for distributing destructive malware
Romanian national extradited to the US for distributing destructive malware, including the financially devastating Gozi Virus, through a “bulletproof hosting” service. Charged with multiple offenses including computer intrusion and bank fraud conspiracy.
Mihai Ionut Paunescu was extradited from Colombia to the US for allegedly running a “bulletproof hosting” service that enabled the distribution of malware.
According to the indictment issued by the Grand Jury of the District Court of New York in 2013, the defendant allegedly facilitated the distribution of malware including one of the most financially destructive viruses in history, the “Gozi Virus.” Essentially, the virus was designed to be undetectable by anti-virus software and stole personal bank account information from computer users. It began distributing in 2007 and it infected over 1 million computer users worldwide including 40.000 computers in the US.
The defendant is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
About author
DW Team
The GIP Digital Watch Observatory team, consisting of over 30 digital policy experts from around the world, excels in the fields of research and analysis on digital policy issues. The team is backed by the creative prowess of Creative Lab Diplo and the technical expertise of the Diplo tech team.