Facebook has helped the FBI to bust an international criminal ring said to have infected 11million computers with spyware and stole more than £525million from unsuspecting users.
Agents working in concert with the social network arrested 10 people who allegedly infected computers with software that stole credit card numbers and bank details.
Facebook's security team helped the FBI after the so-called 'Yahos' malware targeted its users between 2010 and October 2012, the agency said in a statement.The social network helped identify the criminals and spot affected accounts, it said.
Its 'security systems were able to detect affected accounts and provide tools to remove these threats,' the FBI said.According to the agency, which worked also with the U.S. Department of Justice, the accused hackers employed the 'Butterfly Botnet'.
Botnets are networks of infected computers that can be used in a variety of cyberattacks on personal computers and legitimate online networks and websites.Hard data is tough to come by, but experts say cybercrime is on the rise around the world as PC and mobile computing become more prevalent and as more and more financial transactions shift online.
Because of the global networks of criminals involved and the remote nature of the crimes, police, cybersecurity professionals and targeted corporations increasingly hard-pressed to spot and ward off attacks.
The FBI's release recommended users to update their operating systems and applications regularly, use anti-virus software and disconnect computers from the Internet when not in use to ward off future cyber attacks.
