Taiwan's Investigation Bureau said today it had traced a Chinese hacker group called "CrazyHunter," which allegedly sold stolen personal data to trafficking rings in both Taiwan and China.
Between February and March, members of CrazyHunter launched ransomware attacks on Taiwan-based hospitals, listed companies and universities, demanding ransom payments, the bureau said in a news release.
Victims included MacKay Memorial Hospital, Changhua Christian Hospital and Keding Enterprises Co., which reported the incidents to local authorities.
Photo courtesy of the Investigation Bureau
Prosecutors said CrazyHunter consisted of two Chinese men, surnamed Luo (羅) and Xu (徐), who sold stolen data to a trafficking ring that included a Chinese man surnamed Zhao (趙) and two Taiwanese nationals surnamed Liu (劉) and Cheng (鄭).
Three raids were carried out from May to this month, during which Liu and Cheng were arrested. Investigators said the pair had long been buying and selling thousands of stolen records from hackers in Taiwan and abroad, and found evidence of virtual currency transactions and electronic records linked to CrazyHunter.
Liu and Cheng are being investigated for computer misuse, extortion and violations of the Personal Data Protection Act, the bureau said. Both were released on NT$30,000 bail and barred from leaving the country.
The roles of Luo, Xu and Zhao remain under investigation, it added.
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