The group is alleged to have targeted users of online banks by sending them e-mails claiming to come from Deutsche Telekom, eBay, 1&1, Walmart, Ikea, and the German television licensing organization (GEZ). Attached to the e-mails were malicious Trojan horses (such as Troj/Clagger-AZ and Troj/DwnLdr-FYH) that stole information from the infected computers. The police probe, which is said to have taken 18 months, resulted in arrests in several German cities, including Dusseldorf, Cologne and Frankfurt. According to the BKA, the suspects -- who come from Germany, Russia and the Ukraine -- bought expensive jewelry, cars and luxury vacations from the proceeds of their criminal acts.
"The German authorities deserve credit for putting the resources into investigating the deluge of malicious e-mails that computer users in their country were receiving in these campaigns," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "The financial rewards for cybercrime are significant, and we are seeing more organized gangs getting involved in this kind of crime all the time. Everyone who has a computer needs to learn how to properly defend themselves, or risk having their money and identity stolen."
