Current:Home > MyAuthorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet -Blueprint Wealth Network
Authorities arrest man allegedly running ‘likely world’s largest ever’ cybercrime botnet
View
Date:2025-04-25 21:20:30
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! (651)
Related
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan arrested after jail sentence for corruption conviction
- A year after a Russian missile took her leg, a young Ukrainian gymnast endures
- Inundation and Injustice: Flooding Presents a Formidable Threat to the Great Lakes Region
- Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
- FCC hands out historic fine to robocaller company over 5 billion auto warranty calls
- Elon Musk is banking on his 'everything app.' But will it work?
- Rwanda genocide survivors criticize UN court’s call to permanently halt elderly suspect’s trial
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Only 1 in 5 people with opioid addiction get the medications to treat it, study finds
Ranking
- A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
- Sandra Bullock's Longtime Partner Bryan Randall Dead at 57
- What to know about beech leaf disease, the 'heartbreaking' threat to forests along the East Coast
- 'Today' show's Jill Martin says she likely is cancer-free, but may undergo chemo
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Book excerpt: President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier by C.W. Goodyear
- 'Sound of Freedom' funder charged with child kidnapping amid controversy, box office success
- Swarms of birds will fly over the US soon. Explore BirdCast's new migration tool to help you prepare.
Recommendation
A Mississippi company is sentenced for mislabeling cheap seafood as premium local fish
Kia recall: Over 120,000 Niro, Niro EV cars recalled for risk of engine compartment fire
Teen said 'homophobic slurs' before O'Shae Sibley killing: Criminal complaint
Half a million without power in US after severe storms slam East Coast, killing 2
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Arrest warrants issued for Montgomery, Alabama, riverfront brawl
What to know about Ohio's Issue 1 ahead of the crucial August 8 special election
Wisconsin governor calls special legislative session on increasing child care funding