The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has arrested a Chinese national for operating a botnet scam. The DOJ nabbed Yune Wang for operating a 911 S5 botnet scam that has impacted the violation of the law.
A botnet refers to corrupted computer devices that criminals fully control. The 32-year-old St.Kitts and Nevis resident was accused of launching malware to compromise multiple networks of computer windows.
Botnet Owner Arrested in US
The DOJ noted that Wang operated one of the largest botnet scams for nearly a decade. The prosecutor observed that the Wang botnet affected 19 million IP addresses. The botnet scam supported most cyber attacks, harassment, and fraudulent schemes.
The DOJ lamented that Wang’s botnet was used to issue bomb threat that undermined the country’s national security.A statement from US Attorney of the Eastern District of Texas Damian Diggs revealed that Wang created and operated a 911 S5 botnet that compromised millions of computers.
The attorney stated that Wang will be held accountable for operating the botnet. Diggs noted that the botnet enabled criminals to operate corrupted IP addresses to conceal their unlawful activities.
DOJ Collaborates with Global Law Enforcers to Convict Criminals
The executive noted that corrupt IP addresses protect criminals from being traced by law enforcers. Also, the 911 S5 allowed criminals to gain unauthorized access to financial systems and steal billions of dollars.
The official appreciated the collaborative efforts made by local and offshore law enforcers to apprehend Wang. Diggs vowed to remain committed to bringing down criminals, compromising the telecommunication infrastructures.
The investigation to arrest Wang was chaired by the DOJ in collaboration with global law enforcers from the US, Thailand, Singapore and Germany.
However, due to the complex nature of the 911 S5, the DOJ has engaged other law enforcers to disrupt the botnet’s operationbotnet’s operation.
The arrest of Wang demonstrated the preparedness of the DOJ to extend its enforcement action to criminals operating dark webs. The DOJ vows to continue fighting to prevent criminals from accessing systems and applications.
In a subsequent report, a director at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Christopher Wray, confirmed that the FBI conducted a thorough cyber operation to dismantle 911 S5. The official described the Wang botnet as one of the largest in history.
The FBI arrested the culprit and confiscated his assets. Wang’s arrest demonstrated the FBI’s commitment to collaborate with its partners to safeguard the interest of the Americans.
Wray noted that 911 S5 corrupted hundreds of computers in 200 countries. The executive noted that Wang sold the proxied IP addresses to other criminals who engaged in illicit activities.
Botnet 911 S5 Threatens US National Security
Elsewhere the blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis demonstrated that Wang had generated millions of dollars from the sale of proxied IP addresses. The Chainalysis team noted that at the time of arrest, Wang’s wallet was holding $130 million of crypto assets generated from the sale of IP addresses.
The analytic firm observed that the 911 S5 botnet provided the users with deceptive VPN services for free, which enabled Wang to hijack IP addresses from millions of users. Wang and the team claimed that they were VPN networks to enhance privacy for the users.
Chainalysis observed that the 911 S5 operator provided the cybercriminals with a subscription to use the victim’s IP address at a fee.
These services enable Wang and the team to generate millions of dollars from the sale of victim IP addresses. From the investigation, the DOJ observed criminals purchasing proxied IP addresses aimed at benefiting from pandemic relief programs.
The US authority noted that over 560,000 employment insurance claims were submitted during the pandemic using corrupt IP addresses. A report from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program demonstrated that over 47,000 EIDL applications were sent from compromised IP addresses by 911 S5.
The US regulators noted that most of the millions of dollar losses reported by financial institutions originated from 911 S5.The prosecutors noted that around 23 domains and 70 servers used in submitting the unemployment insurance claims originated from Wang’s 911 S5 operations.
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