"Two People Arrested in Australia and US for Development and Sale of Hive RAT"

Authorities in Australia and the US recently announced the arrest and indictment of two individuals for their roles in developing and selling the Hive remote access trojan (RAT).  Initially developed and distributed under the name of Firebird, the malware was marketed as a remote access tool that could stay hidden and steal sensitive information from the targeted systems.  The Australian man was charged with twelve counts of computer offenses and is scheduled to appear in court on May 7.  The American, Edmond Chakhmakhchyan, a 24 year-old resident of Van Nuys, San Fernando Valley, was arrested for selling the Hive RAT on a hacker forum.  According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), Chakhmakhchyan, who used the online moniker "Corruption," was involved in advertising and selling the RAT and also provided paying customers with assistance.  The DoJ noted that the malware provided users with unauthorized access to the infected systems, allowing them to close or disable applications, steal login information for bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets, browse data on the system, log keystrokes, and eavesdrop on the victim's communications.  The DoJ said that Chakhmakhchyan started working with the Firebird/Hive RAT author in 2020 and, at one point, sold the malware to "an undercover employee of a law enforcement agency."  Chakhmakhchyan appeared in court last week and pleaded not guilty.  He is scheduled for trial on June 4.

SecurityWeek reports: "Two People Arrested in Australia and US for Development and Sale of Hive RAT"