A British man has been jailed for over six years after exploiting ad networks on pornographic websites to spread malware onto innocent users’ computers.

24-year-old Zain Qaiser made massive profits from victims in over 20 countries around the world through a criminal scheme which involved malware and blackmail.

According to the National Crime Agency (NCA) who investigated his activities, Qaiser’s financial accounts reveal he received over £700,000 (approximately US $900,000) from his crimes, although the total is believed to be “very much higher.”

So high, in fact, that Qaiser was able to live a life of high-end hotels, gambling, drugs, prostitutes, and luxury purchases including a Rolex watch worth £5,000.

In just one ten-month period, the NCA reported on Twitter, Qaiser spent a staggering £68,000 in a London casino.

Qaiser spent the proceeds of his criminal activity on stays in high-end hotels, prostitutes, gambling, drugs and luxury items. In one 10-month period, he spent £68,000 on gambling in a London casino, despite being unemployed and living with his family: https://t.co/OWdciHHtYY pic.twitter.com/26gtklWBYh

— NationalCrimeAgency (@NCA_UK) April 9, 2019

Not bad going for a man who was registered unemployed and living with his family in Barking, Essex.

So just how did Zain Qaiser manage to make so much money? The answer is somewhat elaborate.

Firstly, it’s worth knowing that Qaiser – who used the online handle of “K!NG” – wasn’t working in complete isolation. Although he had been meddling with ransomware, and earning money from its criminal proceeds, since he was 17 years old, things ramped up a gear when he made contact with a Russian-speaking group of cybercriminals, believed to be the masterminds behind the notorious Angler Exploit Kit.

With an agreement in place to split the profits with his Russian-speaking contacts, Qaiser used a variety (Read more...)