Current:Home > MyAuthorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet -AssetVision
Authorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet
View
Date:2025-04-12 23:10:57
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! (6749)
Related
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Tarnished Golden Globes attempt a comeback, after years of controversy
- 'Wait Wait' for Jan. 7, 2023: Happy New Year with Mariska Hargitay!
- In TV interview, Prince Harry says his book is a bid to 'own my story'
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Transgender patients sue the hospital that provided their records to Tennessee’s attorney general
- A play about censorship is censored — and free speech groups are fighting back
- What to know about the Hunter Biden investigations
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- America's gender pay gap has shrunk to an all-time low, data shows
Ranking
- Arkansas State Police probe death of woman found after officer
- Trader Joe's has issued recalls for 2 types of cookies that could contain rocks
- David Sedaris reads from 'Santaland Diaries,' a Christmastime classic
- Sheryl Lee Ralph opens up about when her son was shot: 'I collapsed and dropped the phone'
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Sister of Carlee Russell's Ex-Boyfriend Weighs In on Stupid as Hell Kidnapping Hoax
- At 16, American teen Casey Phair becomes youngest player to make World Cup debut
- What does 'OP' mean? There's two definitions for the slang. Here's how to use it correctly.
Recommendation
Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
100% coral mortality found in coral reef restoration site off Florida as ocean temperatures soar
Colorado cop on trial for putting suspect in car hit by train says she didn’t know engine was coming
David Sedaris reads from 'Santaland Diaries,' a Christmastime classic
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Noah Baumbach's 'White Noise' adaptation is brave, even if not entirely successful
Mexico’s homicide rate dropped in 2022, but appears to flatline in 2023, official figures show
Aaron Hernandez's brother Dennis arrested for allegedly planning shootings at UConn, Brown