A coordinated global law enforcement operation spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Justice has arrested Yunhe Wang on charges related to malware deployment and operating the 911 S5 Residential Proxy Service, which is allegedly the world’s largest botnet service.
About $29 million worth of cryptocurrencies was seized during the process.
Wang, a Chinese national and citizen of St. Kitts and Nevis, was apprehended in Singapore, where he allegedly used the botnet to steal billions of dollars, amassing a fortune spent on luxury cars, watches, and real estate across multiple countries.
The 911 S5 botnet, controlled by Wang and accomplices, hijacked millions of residential Windows computers worldwide, amassing over 19 million unique IP addresses. It infected machines in nearly 200 countries, including 613,000 in the U.S. alone, and was used to target financial institutions, credit card issuers, and federal lending programs since 2014.
The authorities estimate Wang earned at least $99 million by selling access to the botnet, which criminals used for scams, fraud, identity theft, and even child exploitation.
The takedown involved the collective efforts of international law enforcement agencies and partners. The DOJ acknowledged assistance from partners like the Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore, Singapore Police Force, Royal Thai Police, Office of the Thai Attorney General and Anti-Money Laundering Office, as well as organizations like Chainalysis, Shadowserver Foundation, and Microsoft.
In addition to the $29 million in seized crypto assets, approximately $30 million in additional forfeitable property was identified, and sanctions were imposed on Wang and co-conspirators.
While law enforcement celebrates this cybercrime victory, some on social media have raised questions about whether similar scrutiny is being applied to perceived corruption within government agencies as well. Multiple comments highlighted the focus on cybercrime while other potential wrongdoings go unaddressed.
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