Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

TexasTowelie

(116,766 posts)
Thu Jan 11, 2018, 04:00 AM Jan 2018

North Royalton hacker stole potentially embarrassing information from computers, feds say

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Federal prosecutors accused a North Royalton man of creating a malware program named "Fruitfly" that he used to worm its way into thousands of computers nationwide, according to a news release.

Phillip Durachinsky, 28, used the malware to steal people's personal information, including usernames, passwords, financial records, medical records, photographs, internet searches and things that might be considered embarrassing, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Cleveland. Fruitfly was able to alert Durachinsky if an infected computer's user typed words associated with pornography.

It also allowed Durachinsky to turn on an infected computer's microphone and cameras and record people, according to court filings.

Fruitfly has been on the radar of cybersecurity analysts for a while. It caught their attention because, in addition to puncturing the security systems on computers with Microsoft operating systems, it could get into Apple computers, according to an article on Forbes' website.

Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/index.ssf/2018/01/north_royalton_hacker_stole_po.html

Latest Discussions»Region Forums»Ohio»North Royalton hacker sto...