A New Zealand teenager has been questioned in connection with a scheme by hackers to remotely take over more than 1 million computers worldwide and use them for criminal activity, New Zealand police and the FBI said Thursday. The FBI has identified at least 2.5 million unsuspecting computer users who have been victims of so-called "botnet" activity. Hackers install viruses, worms and other attack programs that allow them to take over the computers and use them to commit cyber crimes.Industry numbers suggest there are as many as 5 million infected computers.
The FBI tracked down the teen and believes the 18-year-old, known by the cyber alias "AKILL," was the ringleader of an international botnet group know as the "A-team," responsible for infecting more than 1 million computers.
Authorities seized computer equipment and questioned the teen, said New Zealand Police Detective Inspector Peter Devoy, but the person has not been identified, arrested or charged.
Read More
