- Wang’s botnet hijacked 19M IP addresses, facilitating $99M in sales to cybercriminals.
- Authorities seized $130M in digital assets and luxury items from Wang’s global operations.
- The botnet’s VPN service led to millions in illicit profits and $5.9B in fraudulent claims.
The American Justice Department (DOJ) has arrested Yunhe Wang, a 35-year-old Chinese national from St. Kitts and Nevis, for his role in a massive botnet scam. Wang is accused of stealing over 19 million compromised private IP addresses and selling them to other criminals.
Cybercriminal’s Sophisticated Scheme
According to the May 29 indictment, Wang created and disseminated malware to build a network of compromised residential Windows computers worldwide. The 911 S5 Botnet is a network that took over 19 million IP addresses.
Following Wang’s sale of these stolen IP addresses to online criminals, a number of crimes, including financial fraud, identity theft, and child exploitation, were made possible. Wang sold these stolen proxied IP addresses for over $99 million between July 2022 and 2018.
Seizure of Assets
Authorities seized more than a dozen domestic and international bank accounts, over two dozen cryptocurrency wallets, several luxury wristwatches, 21 residential or investment properties across Thailand, Singapore, the UAE, St. Kitts and Nevis, and the United States, and 20 domain names.
The indictment also lists numerous assets to be confiscated, including luxury cars such as a 2022 Ferrari F8 Spider S-A, a BMW i8, a BMW X7 M50d, and a Rolls Royce.
Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis revealed that wallet addresses linked to Wang held over $130 million in digital assets earned through illicit activities. The 911 S5 Botnet provided deceptive free VPN services that secretly hijacked users’ IP addresses.
This service generated millions of dollars annually through a subscription model. DOJ officials noted that 911 S5 customers also targeted pandemic relief programs, resulting in over $5.9 billion in fraudulent unemployment insurance claims.
International Operation
A joint operation between law enforcement agencies in the United States, Singapore, Thailand, and Germany led to the seizure of 23 domains and over 70 servers supporting Wang’s operations. Authorities also confiscated $30 million in assets connected to the 911 S5 Botnet.
The DOJ’s successful arrest of Wang and the disruption of his botnet network marks a significant victory in the fight against cybercrime. This case highlights the importance of international cooperation in tackling global cyber threats.
The arrest of Yunhe Wang and the takedown of the 911 S5 Botnet demonstrate the DOJ’s commitment to combating cybercrime. This operation has prevented further financial fraud, identity theft, and exploitation, protecting millions of individuals and their data.
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