14 DAY TRIAL // The Flashback OS X Trojan made a lot of headlines one year ago when it managed to infect over half a million Mac computers. The author’s identity remained unknown during this period, but now, security expert Brian Krebs reports finding some clues regarding the cybercriminal mastermind.
According to Krebs, a user identifying himself as Mavook on the BlackSEO.com, a popular underground forum, took credit for the creation of the Flashback botnet back in July 2012.
He bragged about this accomplishment while trying to convince a VIP member of BlackSEO to help him become a member of Darkode.com, another website used by cybercriminals.
After analyzing Mavook’s online tracks, the expert learned that he could be Maxim Dmitrievich Selihanovich, a 30-year-old Russian from Saransk, a city in Mordovia.
Of course, Mavook could be falsely taking credit for Flashback just to boost his reputation.
More details on how Krebs made the connection between the Flashback Trojan and Maxim Dmitrievich Selihanovich are available on the journalist’s personal blog.