A university student has been jailed for creating and selling a cyber-attack programme that targeted the benefits system.

Amar Tagore, 21, from Alexandria, earned tens of thousands of pounds from making a website that offered software that would disrupt corporate and government websites.

Hundreds of customers used the tool to carry out Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks that forced users to take their websites offline.

He also gave technical support to those who bought the software, said prosecutors.

Tagore pleaded guilty in May to computer misuse charges and breach of proceeds of crime legislation and was sentenced today at Dumbarton Sheriff Court.

Sineidin Corrins, Deputy Procurator Fiscal for Specialist Casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “Amar Tagore’s criminal conduct had the potential to cause serious disruption to government-affiliated and commercial websites all over the world.

“He made tens of thousands of pounds through the sale of his malicious software and technical expertise.

“But he is now paying the price for his criminal conduct, and we are already taking steps to recover his criminal benefit under proceeds of crime legislation.

“This investigation involved domestic and international partners and reflects the worldwide nature of cybercrime investigations which does not stop at traditional borders.

“COPFS is committed to fighting cybercrime at all levels and to protecting our communities and businesses from the effects of such criminality.”

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) was regularly hit by DDoS attacks at their Job Centre in Braintree, Essex, between May 12 and August 18, 2022.

Police found a suspect whose mobile phone ran a programme called "Myra" which was running two attack "commands" directed at DWP.

Myra's home page and IP was later traced to Tagore.

He offered different packages that could be bought.

Prosecutors said: "The ‘normal’ package claimed to be for beginners; the VIP package would give users a ‘larger network increase and complex vector structures’ and the VIP+ package stated that it had ‘access to all add-on packages for full accessibility to the network. Specialised with your attack suite to meet any desires’."

Police searched Tagore's home in November 2022 and found him logged into a Myra VI terminal window with two large monitors and using "commands" to allow another user to use two separate attack methods.

Analysis of the laptop found 73,347 search references with the word "Myra" and another 1,131 on his mobile phone.

Between January 2020 and November 2022, he earned £44,433 from the sales of his software.

Sheriff Frances McCartney jailed Tagore for 21 months, and there will be efforts to get money from him under proceeds of crime legislation.

In May after Tagore pleaded guilty, Police Scotland Detective Chief Inspector Andy Maclean, from their cybercrime investigation unit, said: “This was a challenging, thorough and technical investigation that involved the examination of thousands of items of digital forensic data.

“Officers were able to demonstrate Tagore made tens of thousands of pounds through the sale of his tool and the full extent of his global activity.

“The investigation involved domestic and international partners and reflects the worldwide nature of cybercrime investigations which does not stop at traditional borders.

“Police Scotland is committed to fighting cybercrime at all levels and to protect our community and businesses from the effects of such criminality.

“Anyone with concerns or information about cybercrime should contact Police Scotland via 101 or make a call anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”