Spyware Distributors Indicted in Seoul, South Korea

In one of the biggest crackdowns yet in Asia, the Seoul Central District Public Prosecutors’ Office has announced that it has indicted 10 people on charges of  "producing or distributing malicious programs that intrude into receivers' computers and make them display pop-up ads and unwanted Web sites." This is the first time that this has ever happened in the country.

According to the Korea Herald:

"The Seoul Central Prosecutor's Office said it arrested and indicted two distributors of the programs on charges of violating the information and communication law. Four developers were prosecuted but not detained while four minor distributors will face summary trials.

One distributor, identified by his family name Song, purchased a spyware program which designates the start page of his browser as his Web site. He made tens of millions of won from adult Web site operators in return for advertising their business on his Web site, according to the prosecutors."

One worrying factor, and possibly a key reason in cracking down on the purpetrators, was that potentially large numbers of teenagers had been lured into these websites - mainly due to the fact that links to these "spyware" sites were  found on sites frequented by young people.

Related Links
Crackdown on Spyware Launched (The Korea Times)