Quebec provincial police conducted raids on Wednesday, breaking up a hacking ring said to be responsible for an estimated CDN$45 million in damage to computer systems. Police did not release names of the accused who range in age from 17 to 26 years old. Three are minors.
In a videotaped press conference posted to the police agency’s Web site, Capt. Frederick Gaudreau, of the Surete du Quebec, said the hackers installed remote-controlled botnet software on victims’ machines in order to run phishing and spamming operations. The botnet is believed to contain up to one million zombie PCs, spanning 100 countries around the globe.
If convicted of computer hacking charges, the accused could face 10 years in prison, Gaudreau said.
Police confiscated computer equipment during the raids, and information found on the machines may lead to more charges against other alleged ring members.
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