Cyber Hack Evil Corp: 5. Game over
Nov 17, 2025
In this installment, former FBI special agent Keith Mularski, who went undercover as 'Master Splinter,' shares thrilling tales of infiltrating cybercriminal forums. He reveals the rise of the notorious group Evil Corp, led by Maxim Yakubets, responsible for sophisticated malware like CryptoLocker. Keith outlines the tense operations to seize control of the Game Over Zeus botnet and the evolution of ransomware tactics. With insights into real-world cyber crises, this discussion highlights the complex cat-and-mouse game between law enforcement and cybercriminals.
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Undercover As Master Splinter
- FBI agent Keith Mularski went undercover as 'Master Splinter' and built credibility on criminal forums to infiltrate networks.
- His fake identity led to a two-year undercover operation that produced 56 arrests in 2008.
Peer-To-Peer Botnet Resilience
- GameOver Zeus used peer-to-peer architecture so infected machines could relay commands to each other, making takedown far harder.
- The international team redirected infected computers by seizing servers and cutting a control IP, temporarily reclaiming the botnet.
Global Takedown Weekend
- An international operation in May 2014 coordinated seizure of servers and monitoring centres across countries to take over GameOver Zeus.
- The team watched hundreds of thousands of computers check in and celebrated when control shifted away from criminals.