‘World’s Largest Botnet’ Taken Down Following Suspected Chinese Mastermind’s Arrest and Seizure of $29 Million in Cryptocurrency | Scientific and technological news

Cars including a Rolls-Royce, two BMWs and a Ferrari, as well as luxury watches, are among the goods that could also be confiscated.

A Chinese national has been arrested for allegedly being the mastermind of a massive botnet used to steal billions of dollars.

The “911 S5” botnet was probably the largest in the world. It infected computers in nearly 200 countries and facilitated a range 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 by selling access to criminals who used it for scam purposes.

A botnet is a network of infected computers that hackers remotely exploit to carry out massive cyberattacks and scams.

“Zombie” machines are at their mercy and can be used to collect personal data, monitor activity and install applications.

Wang, 35, was arrested at Singapore last week and $29 million (£22.8 million) worth of cryptocurrency seized, said Brett Leatherman, the FBI's deputy director for cyber operations.

The botnet was used to steal “billions of dollars from financial institutions, credit card issuers and account holders, and federal lending programs since 2014,” according to an indictment filed in Texas.

The network reportedly included 613,000 infected machines in the United States alone.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said criminals using it committed around $5.9 billion (£4.64 billion) in fraud, including 560,000 false insurance claims. unemployment.

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 including a Rolls-Royce, two BMWs and a Ferrari, as well as luxury watches, are among the goods that could be seized.

If convicted, Wang faces up to 65 years in prison on computer fraud and money laundering charges.

Authorities in the United States, Singapore, Thailand and Germany were involved in the operation to stop it and dismantle the botnet, the FBI said.

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“The behavior alleged here appears to be scripted,” said Matthew S. Axelrod of the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security.

“A project 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 money. child exploitation material – then using the nearly $100 million in profits from the project to buy luxury cars, watches and real estate.