FBI Takes Down Massive Global Army of Zombie Computer Devices

(Bloomberg) — The FBI said it has dismantled what is likely the world’s largest botnet — an army of 19 million infected computers — that was leased to hackers for cybercrimes.

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The botnet, which has spread to more than 190 countries, has enabled financial fraud, identity theft and access to child exploitation materials around the world, according to a statement released Wednesday by FBI Director Christopher Wray. Other breaches linked to the botnet included bomb threats and cyberattacks, likely leading to billions of dollars in victim losses, according to a Justice Department statement.

The botnet was linked to more than 613,000 IP addresses located in the US, authorities said. Botnets are created when cybercriminals install malware on computers or other connected devices and leverage them for nefarious activities, creating a zombie army of devices whose owners are often unaware of what is happening.

Authorities seized Internet equipment and assets and imposed sanctions against the alleged botnet administrator, YunHe Wang, as well as co-conspirators, Wray said.

Wang, a Chinese national, was arrested in Singapore on May 24, accused of allegedly deploying malware and creating and operating a residential proxy service known as “911 S5.” It was started in 2014 and relied on a network of millions of compromised Windows home computers, according to the US government. Wang then generated millions of dollars by offering cybercriminals access to these infected IP addresses for a fee, according to the Department of Justice.

The US is now awaiting extradition, according to Brett Leatherman, deputy assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber ​​Division. “We want it, you know, as soon as possible,” Leatherman told reporters on a call Wednesday.

The FBI and international partners also executed several search warrants and interviews in Singapore and Thailand that could lead to additional arrests, he added.

The police operation, called Operation Tunnel Rat, also seized luxury goods, including expensive cars and watches worth US$4 million, as well as more than US$29 million worth of cryptocurrencies and around US$30 million worth of real estate in Singapore. Thailand, Dubai and other places, as well as 22 domains, officials said.

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Home IP addresses were compromised when users downloaded certain free software or applications from virtual private networks that contained botnet-associated malware onto their devices, Leatherman said. The FBI has launched a web page where the public can check whether their IP address was among those compromised.

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