Joined: 10/12/2010
Posts: 5779
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Posted: 6/23/2011 7:55:47 AM By: Hunter Here's hoping that the MN Star Tribune now hates internet ads as much as I do!!!
Click to view indictment of Peteris Sahurovs and Marina Maslobojeva
http://www.alabamaagainstfraud.com/Hunter/PhishingMalWare/PeterisSahurovsMNStarTribune.pdf
Sahurovs and Maslobojeva are charged with infecting user’s computers with malware and then deceiving victim Internet users into purchasing purported antivirus software products to fix problem.
Indictment illustrates the risk of advertisements on internet sites. Sahurovs and Maslobojeva were able to get Best Western adds placed on Minnesota Star Tribune site using third party ad tags. Star Tribune hired fake entity, RevolTech from Miami FL, who they thought were representing Best Western International. Vistors to Star Tribune site who clicked on ad-link were redirected to server in Netherlands controlled by Sahurovs and Maslobojeva. On or about Feb. 21, 2010, the website in Netherlands starting redirecting visitors to server in Latvia which downloaded malware to visitors’ computers. Next, internet victims purchased purported antivirus software products to fix the problem caused by the malware.
Somewhere along the way this caught the attention of authorities. Resulted in raids in US, UK and six other countries.
Link to BBC News Article
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-13887152
Case illustrates the danger of internet adds and lack of checking by organizations that use such ads. A quick company search on RevolTech might have turned up – well, nothing if it was not a legitimate company. A quick check with domain tools might have turned up information on servers being used in the Netherlands and Latvia.
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