WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th June, 2023) A judge in New York City has sentenced a software expert who hosted a supposedly "bulletproof" hosting service that served cyber-criminals to three years in a US Federal penitentiary for his efforts, the Justice Department announced in a press release.
"Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Mihai Ionut Paunescu, also known as 'Virus,' was sentenced to three years in prison today in Manhattan federal court for conspiracy to commit computer intrusion in connection with running a 'bulletproof hosting' service," the release said on Monday.
Paunescu's service enabled cybercriminals to distribute the Gozi Virus, the Zeus Trojan, the SpyEye Trojan, and the BlackEnergy malware, all designed to steal confidential financial information, the release said.
"Paunescu also enabled other cybercrimes, such as initiating and executing distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and transmitting spam," the release added.
Paunescu had previously pleaded guilty before US Magistrate Judge Valerie Figueredo on February 24, 2023 and was sentenced on Monday by US District Judge Lorna Schofield, according to the release.
