Two men believed to be the authors of both the Zotob Botzor.exe (also known as worm-rbot.cbq, rbot.cbq, and rbot.ebq), and also the Mytob worm have been arrested in Morocco and Turkey.
Working closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Moroccan police arrested Russian-born Moroccan citizen, Farid Essebar, who used the online name “Diab10” (cute, eh? Like Diablo only with a “10” for the “lo”). At the same time Turkish authorities arrested Atilla Ekici (code name “Coder”). Attila Ekici is 21, and Farid Essebar a mere 18 years old.
Said Brad Smith, senior vice president and general counsel for Microsoft, “We congratulate the Turkish and Moroccan authorities and the FBI for finding and apprehending the alleged authors and distributors of the Zotob and Mytob worms so quickly. This arrest demonstrates the value of public-private collaboration – the first-class investigative work by the authorities and round-the-clock technical and investigative support provided by our Internet Crime Investigations Team here at Microsoft. The results show clearly that cybercriminals will be identified, apprehended and held accountable for their actions.”
According to a press release from Microsoft, “Microsoft’s Internet Crime Investigations Team supported the investigation with law enforcement immediately following the release of the two worms. Microsoft provided technical information and analytical support to the FBI on this case, which was then shared with Moroccan and Turkish authorities.”
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