Current:Home > MyAuthorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet -SecurePath Capital
Authorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet
View
Date:2025-04-19 08:38:09
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! (8662)
Related
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Tennessee judge set to decide whether a Nashville school shooters’ journals are public records
- Former All-Star, World Series champion pitcher Ken Holtzman dies
- WNBA commissioner sidesteps question on All-Star Game in Arizona - an anti-abortion state
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- 2024 NBA play-in tournament: What I'm watching, TV schedule, predictions
- Target's car seat trade-in event is here. Here's how to get a 20% off coupon.
- He didn't want her to have the baby. So he poisoned their newborn's bottle with antifreeze.
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Salman Rushdie’s ‘Knife’ is unflinching about his brutal stabbing and uncanny in its vital spirit
Ranking
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Ruby Franke’s Estranged Husband Kevin Is Suing Her Former Business Partner Jodi Hildebrandt
- Weedkiller manufacturer seeks lawmakers’ help to squelch claims it failed to warn about cancer
- Wealth Forge Institute: WFI TOKEN GIVES AI PROFIT PRO THE WINGS OF A DREAM
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- Tesla plans to lay off more than 10% of workforce as sales slump
- Serena Williams says she'd 'be super-interested' in owning a WNBA team
- Target's car seat trade-in event is here. Here's how to get a 20% off coupon.
Recommendation
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Trump will return to court after first day of hush money criminal trial ends with no jurors picked
The Most Popular Celebrities on Cameo That You Should Book ASAP
New rules for Pregnant Workers Fairness Act include divisive accommodations for abortion
New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
Wealth Forge Institute: The WFI Token Meets Education
Paris Hilton backs California bill to bring more transparency to youth treatment facilities
Only 1 in 3 US adults think Trump acted illegally in New York hush money case, AP-NORC poll shows