Current:Home > MyAuthorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet -ForexStream
Authorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet
View
Date:2025-04-14 06:49:26
WASHINGTON (AP) — An international law enforcement team has arrested a Chinese national and disrupted a major botnet that officials said he ran for nearly a decade, amassing at least $99 million in profits by reselling access to criminals who used it for identity theft, child exploitation, and financial fraud, including pandemic relief scams.
The U.S. Department of Justice quoted FBI Director Christopher Wray as saying Wednesday that the “911 S5” botnet — a network of malware-infected computers in nearly 200 countries — was likely the world’s largest.
Justice said in a news release that Yunhe Wang, 35, was arrested May 24. Wang was arrested in Singapore, and search warrants were executed there and in Thailand, the FBI’s deputy assistant director for cyber operations, Brett Leatherman, said in a LinkedIn post. Authorities also seized $29 million in cryptocurrency, Leatherman said.
Cybercriminals used Wang’s network of zombie residential computers to steal “billions of dollars from financial institutions, credit card issuers and accountholders, and federal lending programs since 2014,” according to an indictment filed in Texas’ eastern district.
The administrator, Wang, sold access to the 19 million Windows computers he hijacked — more than 613,000 in the United States — to criminals who “used that access to commit a staggering array of crimes that victimized children, threatened people’s safety and defrauded financial institutions and federal lending programs,” U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in announcing the takedown.
He said criminals who purchased access to the zombie network from Wang were responsible for more than $5.9 billion in estimated losses due to fraud against relief programs. Officials estimated 560,000 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims originated from compromised IP addresses.
Wang allegedly managed the botnet through 150 dedicated servers, half of them leased from U.S.-based online service providers.
AP AUDIO: Authorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet
Authorities have arrested a man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet. AP’s Lisa Dwyer reports.
The indictment says Wang used his illicit gains to purchase 21 properties in the United States, China, Singapore, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and St. Kitts and Nevis, where it said he obtained citizenship through investment.
In its news release, the Justice Department thanked police and other authorities in Singapore and Thailand for their assistance.
veryGood! (1272)
Related
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Police say 4 killed in suburban Chicago ‘domestic related’ shooting, suspect is in custody
- India’s Modi is set to open a controversial temple in Ayodhya in a grand event months before polls
- Piedad Cordoba, an outspoken leftist who straddled Colombia’s ideological divide, dies at age 68
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- Hearing complaints over property taxes, some Georgia lawmakers look to limit rising values
- Woman accused of killing pro-war blogger in café bomb attack faces 28 years in Russian prison
- Stock market today: Asian shares follow Wall Street gains, Hong Kong stocks near 15-month low
- $73.5M beach replenishment project starts in January at Jersey Shore
- France gets ready to say ‘merci’ to World War II veterans for D-Day’s 80th anniversary this year
Ranking
- 'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
- So fetch! New 'Mean Girls' movie tops quiet weekend with $11.7M at the weekend box office
- Stock market today: Asian shares follow Wall Street gains, Hong Kong stocks near 15-month low
- Proposed federal law would put limits on use of $50 billion in opioid settlements
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Kelce scores twice and Chiefs beat Bills 27-24 to advance to face Ravens in AFC championship
- Japanese carmaker that faked safety tests sees long wait to reopen factories
- Texas man pleads guilty to kidnapping girl who was found in California with a Help Me! sign
Recommendation
Bodycam footage shows high
Republican Presidential Candidate Nikki Haley Says Climate Change is Real. Is She Proposing Anything to Stop It?
Elle King under fire for performing Dolly Parton cover 'hammered': 'Ain't getting your money back'
Not Gonna Miss My … Shot. Samsung's new Galaxy phones make a good picture more of a sure thing
Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
Police officer in Wilbraham, Mass., seriously injured in shooting; suspect in custody
Full transcript of Face the Nation, Jan. 21, 2024
Nikki Haley says Trump tried to buddy up with dictators while in office