*Most people probably don't realize that their computers still have modems.
*This guy was racking up the cash for four years. I wonder what his friends
and family made of that. "Gee, Asu, where'd all that invisible globalized German
money come from?" "Oh, just lucky I guess."
via SANS
–Man Netted US $8 Million in Modem Dialing Scheme
(February 16, 2011)
Asu Pala has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and
other charges in connection with a scheme that infected people's
computers with malware that forced their modems to dial premium rate
phone numbers. Court documents indicate that Pala hired developers to
create the malware, which was tested and deployed by other
co-conspirators. The scheme was ongoing between 2003 and 2007 and
earned Pala nearly US $8 million. It is believed to have affected at
least 250 people from Germany and possibly other European countries.
Pala was charged and entered his guilty plea last April, but the case
was just recently unsealed. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February
28.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/02/16/computer_fraud_plea/
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/02/16/sentencing_set_for_nh_hacker_who_targeted_germans/
