Law enforcement agencies from around the world have shut down a global malware network that stole $5.9 billion and was linked to other crimes, the US Department of Justice said.
The US Department of Justice has teamed up with the FBI and other international agencies to take down what is “probably the world’s largest botnet ever”, reports the BBC.
Chinese national YunHe Wang, who is also a citizen of St Kitts and Nevis, is accused of creating and operating the network.
A botnet is a network of computers infected with malware and controlled by a malicious actor.
Wang is charged with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, substantial computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
If convicted on all counts, he faces a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
According to the indictment, between 2014 and 2022, Wang and others created and operated a botnet called “911 S5” with about 150 servers worldwide.
A botnet has hacked more than 19 million Internet Protocol (IP) addresses in nearly 200 countries, the US Department of Justice said.
The botnet has been used to carry out cyberattacks, large-scale fraud, child exploitation, harassment, bomb threats and export violations.
The US estimates that more than half a million fraudulent unemployment insurance claims originated from compromised IP addresses, resulting in a loss of more than $5.9 billion. The network also allowed cybercriminals to purchase goods with stolen credit cards or launder money.
Wang allegedly sold access to IP addresses and received approximately $99 million.
He is said to have purchased properties in the US, St Kitts and Nevis, China, Singapore, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. Assets totaling around $60 million were seized or identified for seizure, including a Ferrari, a Rolls-Royce and several watches.
Law enforcement agencies in Singapore and Thailand, as well as tech giant Microsoft, were among the organizations assisting in the investigation.
