Japanese Police Arrest Hacker Suspected of Using Threat-Making Malware

Japanese authorities have arrested an individual they believe to be behind the malware that has been making threats on behalf of the users whose computers it infected.

According to the Bangkok Post, the police suspect that 30-year-old Tokyo resident Yusuke Katayama is responsible for the mass-killing threats.

It all started back in October 2012, when Japanese police arrested a number of people whose computers were used to make some serious threats via email and discussion forums.

The threats made by the malware included using a bomb to destroy an airplane. The kindergarten attended by the grandchildren of Emperor Akihito was also named as being a possible target.

Before realizing that a piece of malware was behind the threats, authorities even had the innocent users to confess to their crimes.

Later in December, a 3 million yen ($36,000 or 28,000 EUR) reward was offered to anyone who could provide information on the cybercriminal who was behind the malicious element.

However, at the time, they didn’t have too many clues about the identity of the attacker, except for the fact that he was skilled in C# and that he used the Syberian Post Office method to remain anonymous.

The hacker didn’t appear to be too intimidated and, in January, he sent investigators on a wild-goose chase after a cat.

A memory card containing some details of the malware was strapped to the cat’s collar.

After analyzing the memory card and the footage taken by nearby security cameras, police were able to identify Katayama.

The memory card contained a message which revealed that a past experience in a criminal case, which changed the hacker’s life, was the main reason behind his actions.