Current:Home > MyAuthorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet -StockSource
Authorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet
TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-10 08:34:01
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! (522)
Related
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- Telescope images reveal 'cloudy, ominous structure' known as 'God's Hand' in Milky Way
- How Justin Bieber and Pregnant Hailey Bieber's Family Reacted to Baby News
- TikToker Kimberley Nix Dead at 31
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- New genus of tiny, hornless deer that lived 32 million years ago discovered at Badlands National Park
- Video games help and harm U.S. teens — leading to both friendships and bullying, Pew survey says
- How Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Has Transformed My Super Sensitive Skin
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Loungefly Just Dropped New Accessories Including Up’s 15th Anniversary Collection & More Fandom Fashion
Ranking
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Bachelor Nation's Victoria Fuller Breaks Silence on Greg Grippo Breakup
- RHOBH's Dorit Kemsley and PK Kemsley Break Up After 9 Years of Marriage
- How Justin Bieber and Pregnant Hailey Bieber's Family Reacted to Baby News
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- A $400 pineapple? Del Monte brings rare Rubyglow pineapple to US market in limited numbers
- RHOBH's Dorit Kemsley and PK Kemsley Break Up After 9 Years of Marriage
- Why am I lonely? Lack of social connections hurts Americans' mental health.
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Mississippi governor signs law to set a new funding formula for public schools
‘Where’s Ronald Greene’s justice?': 5 years on, feds still silent on Black motorist’s deadly arrest
Looking for Unbeatable Home Deals? Run To Pottery Barn’s Sale, Where You’ll Score up to 60% Off
Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
Voting Rights Act weighs heavily in North Dakota’s attempt to revisit redistricting decision it won
Did Kim Kardashian Ask Netflix to Remove Tom Brady Roast Boos? Exec Says…
Cancer-causing chemicals ban signed into law in Colorado, 13th state to bar PFAS products