A Chinese national has been arrested for allegedly being the mastermind behind a massive botnet used to steal billions of dollars.
The “911 S5” botnet was likely the largest in the world, infecting computers in nearly 200 countries and facilitating a host of crimes, including financial fraud, identity theft and child exploitation, FBI Director Christopher Wray said.
Yunhe Wang allegedly made at least $99 million (£78 million), buying luxury cars and properties around the world, selling access to criminals who used it for scams.
A botnet is a network of infected computers that hackers operate remotely to carry out scams and massive cyber attacks.
“Zombie” machines are at your mercy and can be used to collect personal data, monitor activity and install applications.
Wang, 35, was arrested in Singapore last week and $29 million (£22.8 million) worth of cryptocurrency was seized, said Brett Leatherman, the FBI’s deputy assistant director for cyber operations.
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The botnet used to steal “billions of dollars from financial institutions, credit card issuers and account holders, and federal loan programs since 2014,” according to an indictment filed in Texas.
The network allegedly included 613,000 infected machines in the United States alone.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said criminals who used it committed around $5.9 billion (£4.64 billion) in fraud, including 560,000 false unemployment insurance claims.
Wang used his millions to buy 21 properties in the United Arab Emirates, the United States, China, Singapore, Thailand and St. Kitts and Nevis, where he obtained citizenship, prosecutors said.
Cars such as a Rolls-Royce, two BMWs and a Ferrari, as well as luxury watches, are among the assets that could be seized.
If convicted, Wang faces up to 65 years in prison on charges including computer fraud and money laundering.
Authorities from the United States, Singapore, Thailand and Germany participated in the operation to arrest him and dismantle the botnet, the FBI said.
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“The conduct alleged here seems straight out of a script,” said Matthew S. Axelrod of the US Bureau of Industry and Security.
“A scheme to sell access to millions of malware-infected computers around the world, allowing criminals around the world to steal billions of dollars, transmit bomb threats and trade child exploitation materials, and then use the nearly 100 million of dollars in profits from the scheme to buy luxury cars and real estate.”
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