14 DAY TRIAL // Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has announced the arrests of two individuals in Bavaria and Lower Saxony. They’re suspected of operating a botnet that has helped them generate over €700,000 ($954,000) in Bitcoins.
According to authorities, three suspects are investigated, but only two of them were arrested on the night between December 2 and 3.
The individuals are said to have modified a piece of malware and spread it across the Internet to gain control over computers. They’ve used the botnet to generate Bitcoins.
Police say they’ve also uncovered evidence of copyright violations, other hacking-related activities, fraud, and criminal offenses related to adult content.
BKA President Jörg Zierke has noted that Bitcoin is increasingly used by criminals because it facilitates money laundering and it makes it more difficult for law enforcement to track them down.
The investigation is ongoing.