Three held in computer hacking takedown

THREE men from Greater Manchester have been arrested as part of an international investigation into a website which sold a hacking tool for cyber criminals.

The device gave crooks in 124 countries full remote control of victims’ computers.

After a probe led by the Australian Federal Police with the North West Organised Crime Unit leading the UK investigation supported by the National Crime Agency, the website has been taken down.

About 14,500 people across the world purchased the Imminent Monitor Remote Access Trojan software (IM RAT) for as little as 25 US dollars.

Once secretly installed on a victim’s computer, IM RAT allowed the hacker access to the device, enabling them to disable anti-virus software, steal data or passwords, record key strokes and watch victims via webcams.

Detective Inspector Andy Milligan, from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “This has been a complex, challenging cyber investigation with international scope.

Twenty-one warrants were executed across the UK, with three in Greater Manchester.

A 24-year-old man from Leigh, a 23-year-old man from Denton and a 36-year-old man from Farnworth were all arrested under the Computer Misuse Act.

Phil Larratt, from the NCA, said: “We were able to support the takedown of a website that was distributing malware and facilitating hacking offences.

“The IM RAT was used by individuals and organised crime groups in the UK to commit a range of offences beyond just the Computer Misuse Act, including fraud, theft and money laundering.”