NEW YORK, May 17, 2022 (AFP) — Venezuelan cardiologist Moises Luis Zagala González, known as “Nosophoros” and “Esculapius”, was accused of selling ransomware in the United States on Monday and extorting money from victims to buyers. He was accused of giving instructions to evict. ,
According to the Brooklyn Prosecutor’s Office, Zagala, 55, lives in Ciudad Bolivar (Venezuela) and has Venezuelan and French nationalities. According to court documents, he “designed and sold data-theft programs that criminals used to attack the computer networks of companies and other institutions”.
In early 2019, Zagala began announcing its new web tool: the “Private Ramsomware Builder”, which they called “Thanos”. The “multi-pronged” doctor, as a Brooklyn court prosecutor defined him, not only sold the program, but also allowed a subscription to share the benefits of the cyberattacks, paid for by PayPal to a family member’s account. can go. Cryptocurrency.
Zagala asked “customers” to rate his experience until he was offered a $500 per month “basic option” or $800 “all option” license to an FBI informant.
If convicted, Zagala could face up to five years in prison on charges of attempted computer hacking and conspiracy to hack into computers.
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