911 S5 botnet administrator arrested and botnet dismantled

The US Department of Justice has arrested a 35-year-old Chinese man, YunHe Wang, as the alleged creator and operator of a residential proxy service called 911 S5. This botnet infected over 19 million IP addresses and generated billions of dollars in pandemic unemployment and fraud. Apparently, 911 S5 allowed malicious actors to bypass financial fraud protections to steal from financial institutions, federal lending programs, and credit card issuers.

Principal Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, said: “As alleged in the indictment, Wang created malware that compromised millions of residential computers around the world, then sold access to infected computers to cybercriminals. These criminals used the hacked computers to hide their identities and commit a multitude of crimes, ranging from fraud to cyberstalking. Cybercriminals should take note. Today's announcement sends a clear message that the Criminal Division and its law enforcement partners are steadfast in their determination to disrupt the most technologically sophisticated criminal tools and hold wrongdoers accountable.

The botnet has been used by various cybercriminals to commit a range of crimes, such as child exploitation, large-scale fraud, harassment, bomb threats, and more.

Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Matthew S. Axelrod of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) said: “The conduct alleged here reads as if it was based on a scenario: a scheme to sell access to millions of malware-infected sites. computers around the world, allowing criminals around the world to steal billions of dollars, transmit bomb threats and trade child exploitation material – then use the nearly $100 million of profits from the scheme to buy luxury cars, watches and real estate. What they don't show in the films is the painstaking work it takes by national and international law enforcement, working closely with industry partners, to stop such a brazen project and allow an arrest like this.

Wang was charged with:

• Conspiracy to commit computer fraud
• Substantial computer fraud
• Conspiracy to commit wire fraud
• Conspiracy to commit money laundering

Wang could face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison if convicted on all counts.