A Melburnian accused of creating intrusive spyware as a 15-year-old and then selling it to domestic violence perpetrators and other criminals has faced court.
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Police allege the now 24-year-old man created the remote access trojan (RAT) named Imminent Monitor which let perpetrators control victims' computers, steal personal information, and turn on their webcams and microphones.
He allegedly made up to $400,000 selling the malware.
The man, who is not named for legal reasons, was living in the Brisbane suburb of Zillmere when the alleged offences occurred between 2013 and 2019.
He faces six charges, while his 43-year-old mother is charged with dealing in proceeds of crime to the value of $100,000 or more.
Detectives served summons on the pair at their home in the Melbourne suburb of Frankston last month.
Warrants for their arrest were placed on file when the mother and son failed to appear in court on July 29.
But these were cancelled when the pair appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.
Police will allege the RAT was advertised on a forum dedicated to hacking and sold for about $35.
The $300,000 to $400,000 the man allegedly made mostly went towards consumable and disposable items like food delivery services, police said.
More than 14,500 people in 128 countries allegedly bought the RAT.
Police will allege 14 PayPal users out of more than 200 buyers in Australia had domestic violence orders against them, while another was on the child sexual offender register.
The 24-year-old is charged with producing, supplying or obtaining data with intent to commit a computer offence between April 2013 - about a month after his 15th birthday - and June 2019.
He is also charged with dealing in the proceeds of crime to the value of $100,000 or more.
Bail was not opposed, with conditions banning them from international terminals and requiring them to surrender passports and live at their Frankston home.
Their appearances were excused when the cases are due to be mentioned again in the same court on September 30.
The RAT was shut down by Federal Police in 2019 and 44 victims have been identified in Australia.
A total of 13 people have been arrested globally and hundreds of devices seized during the investigation into Imminent Monitor.
Australian Associated Press
