Brian Krebs Botmaster Interview

I highly recommend reading Brian Krebs' latest article Invasion of the Computer Snatchers. Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

"Most days, I just sit at home and chat online while I make money," 0x80 says. "I get one check like every 15 days in the mail for a few hundred bucks, and a buncha others I get from banks in Canada every 30 days." He says his work earns him an average of $6,800 per month, although he's made as much as $10,000. Not bad money for a high school dropout.

That's great -- what a role model.

The young hacker doesn't have much sympathy for his victims. "All those people in my botnet, right, if I don't use them, they're just gonna eventually get caught up in someone else's net, so it might as well be mine," 0x80 says. "I mean, most of these people I infect are so stupid they really ain't got no business being on [the Internet] in the first place."

I'm glad to see this genius is so smart that he let the Washington Post provide identifiable information for the whole world to see.

0x80 has also found credentials for thousands of e-mail accounts, including dozens at ".mil" and ".gov" (U.S. military and government) addresses.

Ding ding -- Feds at the door.

Asked whether he worries about getting caught, 0x80 stuffs his hands into his jeans pockets, shrugs his shoulders and looks down at his shoes. "To tell the truth, man, I'm sorta surprised they haven't caught me yet." He claims he doesn't care but then confesses that he dedicates quite a bit of time to covering his tracks. "I do stay up very late each night trying to make sure nobody is going to kick in my front door . . . If I do [get caught], I'm not all that worried. I've got enough money. I can always get a good lawyer."

Time to find that lawyer, idiot.

[H]e's begun to talk about quitting the criminal hacking scene to join the Army, which, he reasons, will offer not only discipline and the motivation to earn his GED but also potentially a free ride to college. From there, he can imagine a more respectable future working on information technology projects for the military.

Sure, like the Army is going to trust this loser.

I can't wait to see the report that "0x80" is being indicted for his many crimes. I applaud Brian Krebs' reporting, since it gives a wonderful look into the mind of these threats. At the same time, I am disgusted by predators who steal the identities, property, and trust of innocent computer users. If any law enforcement types reading this blog need help analyzing these sorts of crimes, please feel free to contact me.