Following an investigation by law enforcement in the U.S., Singapore, Thailand, and Germany, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday the dismantling of a botnet used in cyberattacks, child exploitation, massive fraud, and export violations, and the arrest of YunHe Wang, a Chinese national behind the malware.
YunHe Wang, 35, who holds citizenship in St. Kitts and Nevis through investment, was arrested on May 24. He faces charges of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, substantive computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering related to his role in creating and operating the botnet known as “911 S5,” the DOJ revealed in a statement.
A botnet is a network of computers infected with malicious software, controlled without the owners’ knowledge, to carry out malware attacks, steal data, send spam messages, and other illicit activities. According to an indictment unsealed on May 24, Wang and others created and disseminated malware from 2014 through July 2022, compromising millions of private Windows computers globally. The botnet affected over 19 million unique IP addresses, including nearly 615,000 in the U.S.
