Security News > 2022 > May > DOJ Says Doctor is Malware Mastermind

On Monday, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York revealed criminal charges against 55 year-old cardiologist Moises Luis Zagala Gonzalez of Cuidad Bolivar, Venezuela accusing him of being the mastermind behind the prolific Thanos malware.

The inditement alleges he "Designed multiple ransomware tools-malicious software that cybercriminals use to extort money from companies, nonprofits and other institutions, by encrypting those files and then demanding a ransom for the decryption keys. Zagala sold or rented out his software to hackers who used it to attack computer networks."

The Department of Justice asserts Gonzalez's subscription-based ransomware builder was popular with Russian cybercriminals, script kiddies and with an Iranian state-sponsored APT. According to a DOJ press release, beginning in late 2019, Gonzalez took to online cybercrime forums to market a new product he'd built.

Cybercriminals could purchase a subscription to this malware or participate in an "Affiliate program." Under that model, customers would receive free access.

Gonzalez - who went by the handles "Nosophoros," "Aesculapius" and "Nebuchadnezzar" - is part of a growing list of accused cybercriminals that operate outside the United States and create a challenge to law enforcement.

Investigators "May know who a cybercriminal is but lack the jurisdiction to make an arrest," said Mollie MacDougall, director of threat intelligence at Cofense, wrote to Threatpost.

News URL

https://threatpost.com/doj-says-doctor-is-malware-mastermind/179659/