FBI captures Mariposa mastermind

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One of the alleged masterminds behind the infamous Mariposa botnet has been arrested in Maribor, Slovenia, the FBI has claimed.

Thought to be the main developer of the botnet, a 23-year-old going by the pseudonym of Iserdo was captured after a long investigation involving the FBI, Spanish authorities and the Slovenian Criminal Police, according to the Associated Press.

The deputy assistant director for the FBI’s cyber division, Jeffrey Troy, said: “To use an analogy here, as opposed to arresting the guy who broke into your home, we've arrested the guy that gave him the crowbar, the map and the best houses in the neighborhood.”

No further details have been released on the true identity of Iserdo, who had been selling the botnet package to hackers.

Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs, who helped Spanish police in their investigations into Mariposa, said the saga is not done yet.

“This is not over," Corrons said in a blog.

"The Guardia Civil is still trying to arrest more people regarding the Mariposa botnet. And Iserdo has been selling the bot to different people, who are creating new botnets.”

Earlier this year, Spanish police had arrested three men in connection with Mariposa.

Read on to learn about the strange experience Corrons had following the arrests.

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