Bulgaria busts ‘Middle East Cyber Army’ hacker
A Syrian national living in Bulgaria has been detained in an operation by police and prosecutors against hacker group “Middle East Cyber Army” that allegedly attacked more than 3500 websites around the world, placing messages in English and Arabic regarding the attack on French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The operation against the hacker was carried out jointly by Bulgaria’s Chief Directorate for Combating Organised Crime cyber crime division and the Sofia City Prosecutor’s Office, the Interior Ministry said on July 15.
The ministry said that the group of hackers had communicated via secure channels with other members to identify targets and exchange hacking tools.
Preliminary information was that the group had attacked more than 3500 sites, including government and corporate websites, replacing the original content and appearance.
The ministry said that items seized in the July 13 operation included computer systems, laptops and external media containing special tools for hacking into computer systems. This and other evidence seized was undergoing forensic examination.
The Syrian citizen was the subject of pre-trial proceedings, Bulgaria’s Interior Ministry said.
(Photo: Zsuzsanna Kilian/sxc.hu)
