Security News > 2021 > March > SolarWinds just keeps getting worse: New strain of backdoor malware found in probe

Someone based in the US, perhaps at an infected organization, uploaded the malware to a public malware repository in August last year for analysis, well before the cyber-spying campaign became public.

John McAfee, the security industry's equivalent of a wacky great-uncle who drinks too much at Christmas and goes off the rails, is now facing serious charges from the US Department of Justice.

Uncle Sam has accused McAfee and his advisor, Jimmy Gale Watson Jr, of conspiracy to commit commodities and securities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities and touting fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and substantive wire fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.

Watson was arrested on Friday and McAfee remains in prison in Spain on separate charges.

"The defendants allegedly used McAfee's Twitter account to publish messages to hundreds of thousands of his Twitter followers touting various cryptocurrencies through false and misleading statements to conceal their true, self-interested motives," Manhattan US Attorney Audrey Strauss said.

"McAfee, Watson, and other members of McAfee's cryptocurrency team allegedly raked in more than $13m from investors they victimized with their fraudulent schemes. Investors should be wary of social media endorsements of investment opportunities."

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/03/08/in_brief_security/