Spanish hackers arrested for creating ‘bot-net’

Spanish authorities say they have arrested the ring leaders of a ‘bot-net,’ or network of millions of hacked computers all over the world. The group was planning to siphon financial and other sensitive information from companies, several of which are American, according to officials.

BBC technology correspondent Mark Ward explains how the network targets computers that appear otherwise normal. Authorities say the computers used peer-to-peer file sharing software to spread a malicious code, and that the group, called Mariposa, has used the network to gather everything from email passwords to credit card numbers.