Surgeon shocked when he was discovered to be a famous hacker

Moises Luis Zagala Gonzalez, 55, a Venezuelan cardiovascular surgeon, has been accused by the US Department of Justice as the culprit behind two dangerous ransomware, Jigsaw v.2 and Thanos. . The US Department of Justice has charged Gonzalez with “unlawfully hacking into a computer”.

Few people suspect that in addition to his work as a cardiovascular surgeon, Moises Luis Zagala Gonzalez is also a famous hacker in the cybercrime world (Photo: FBI).

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), doctor Moises Luis Zagala Gonzalez is well known in the hacker community with the nickname Zagala. After building and developing ransomware, Zagala did not distribute them directly, but sold or leased them to cybercriminals and trained fraudsters on how to use them. Zagala started building and distributing ransomware since 2019.

“Zagala provided the rental and sale of ransomware, advising its customers on how to most effectively use these types of malware to target their victims,” ​​the FBI said.

Ransomware types developed by Zagala can be customized in terms of the type of files they encrypt on the user’s computer, advanced features to bypass detection by security software, or customized the amount of ransom that the hacker wants to give to blackmail the victim. In addition to the cost of selling or renting, Zagala also enjoys a part of the profits obtained from the ransom of these types of ransomware.

Zagala regularly advertises its ransomware on cybercriminal forums, claiming that “this is a ransomware that cannot be detected by security software and once encrypted Once the data is finished, the victim will not be able to recover the data if the ransom is not paid.”

An FBI investigation revealed that Zagala sold its ransomware to at least 38 customers, of which a group of hackers in Iran used it to attack Israeli companies.

After detecting signs of ransomware activity, the FBI analyzed and investigated the origin of this malicious code and discovered a large amount of money was sent to Zagala account, which helps the Investigators discovered that Zagala is the culprit behind these dangerous ransomware.

It is not clear whether Zagala will be extradited to the US, but FBI records show that Zalaga has traveled to the US many times before. If convicted, Zalaga could face up to 10 years in prison for conspiring and knowingly breaking into a computer system.

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