Current:Home > MyAuthorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet -TrueNorth Finance Path
Authorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet
View
Date:2025-04-11 18:48:52
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! (15737)
Related
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Linkin Park reunite 7 years after Chester Bennington’s death, with new music
- NFL Week 1 picks straight up and against spread: Will Jets or 49ers win on Monday night?
- Selling Sunset's Chrishell Stause Says She Has Receipts on Snake Nicole Young
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- Best Deals Under $50 at Free People: Save Up to 74% on Bestsellers From FP Movement, We The Free & More
- 'I cried like a baby': Georgia town mourns after 4 killed in school shooting
- Anna Delvey on 'DWTS' leaves fans, Whoopi Goldberg outraged by the convicted scam artist
- What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
- JD Vance says school shootings are a ‘fact of life,’ calls for better security
Ranking
- New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
- Sicily Yacht Sinking: Why Mike Lynch’s Widow May Be Liable for $4 Billion Lawsuit
- 'Great' dad. 'Caring' brother. Families mourn Georgia high school shooting victims.
- 'Great' dad. 'Caring' brother. Families mourn Georgia high school shooting victims.
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- Kansas City Chiefs superfan ChiefsAholic sent to prison for string of bank robberies
- Sicily Yacht Sinking: Why Mike Lynch’s Widow May Be Liable for $4 Billion Lawsuit
- 3 Milwaukee police officers and a suspect are wounded in a shootout
Recommendation
Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
New Mexico starts building an abortion clinic to serve neighboring states
Feeling the heat as Earth breaks yet another record for hottest summer
New Mexico starts building an abortion clinic to serve neighboring states
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
Group Therapy Sessions Proliferate for People Afflicted With ‘Eco-Distress’
Emma Roberts on the 'joy' of reading with her son and the Joan Didion book she revisits
Taylor Swift spotted at first Chiefs game of season to support Travis Kelce