Authorities from around the world have reportedly captured a Chinese hacker linked to operating a large-scale botnet for nearly a decade, raking in approximately $99 million by selling access to other cybercriminals.
According to Fortune, the U.S. Department of Justice has announced the arrest of Yunhe Wang, 35, on May 24, for his involvement with the “911 S5” botnet. FBI Director Christopher Wray described this botnet as potentially the largest in the world. Spanning almost 200 countries, the botnet—a network of malware-infected computers—has been tied to various criminal activities, including identity theft, child exploitation, and extensive financial fraud, such as scams related to pandemic relief.
The economic impact of the botnet’s actions is immense. Criminals who purchased access to this zombie network facilitated an estimated $5.9 billion in losses through fraudulent relief program claims. Additionally, officials stated that around 560,000 false unemployment insurance claims originated from IP addresses compromised by the botnet.
Wang is suspected of managing the botnet via 150 dedicated servers, with half of these hosted by online service providers in the U.S. The indictment details Wang’s use of his illegal profits to acquire 21 properties spread across several countries, including the United States, China, Singapore, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and St. Kitts and Nevis, where he obtained citizenship through investment.
