Security News > 2023 > March > FBI and international cops catch a NetWire RAT

International law enforcement agencies have claimed another victory over cyber criminals, after seizing the website, and taking down the infrastructure operated by crims linked to the NetWire remote access trojan.

On the same day, a US judge approved a seizure warrant that allowed federal authorities in Los Angeles to seize the internet domain, and Swiss law enforcement seized the server hosting the NetWire RAT infrastructure.

"By removing the NetWire RAT, the FBI has impacted the criminal cyber ecosystem," Donald Alway, the assistant director in charge of the FBI's Los Angeles field office, declared in a statement.

As part of this, undercover agents created accounts on the website, paid for a subscription, and "Constructed a customized instance of the NetWire RAT using the product's Builder Tool," according to the affidavit in support of the seizure warrant.

The malware peddler allegedly sold NetWire licenses for between $10 and $1,200, according to Croatian police, who have yet to determine the total illicit haul from selling the RAT. Other criminals who bought the malware used NetWire to target healthcare organizations and banks, they added.

The NetWire takedown follows several other international law enforcement operations over recent months intended to disrupt high-profile cyber crime gangs.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/03/10/fbi_netwire_seizure/