May 30, 2024 at 07:54AM
The US Justice Department arrested a Chinese national for allegedly running the 911 S5 botnet. The Treasury Department also sanctioned three individuals and three companies linked to the botnet’s creation. The botnet, responsible for infecting 19 million Windows devices, has been disrupted through an international operation involving multiple countries and agencies. The accused could face up to 65 years in prison.
From the meeting notes, I have gathered the following key points:
1. The US Justice Department announced the dismantling of the 911 S5 proxy botnet and the arrest of its alleged administrator, a Chinese national.
2. The Treasury Department imposed sanctions against three Chinese individuals and three Thailand-based companies allegedly involved in the creation and operation of the 911 S5 botnet.
3. Wang, the alleged administrator of 911 S5, was arrested on May 24, and the botnet was dismantled.
4. Cybersecurity blogger Brian Krebs detailed the 911 S5 botnet in 2022, naming Wang as the owner, and it later reemerged as Cloud Router.
5. An international law enforcement operation involving US, German, Singaporean, and Thai agencies disrupted the 911 S5 botnet and its successor, Cloud Router.
6. The botnet ensnared 19 million Windows devices across over 190 countries between 2014 and 2022.
7. The DoJ charged Wang with various offenses, including conspiracy to commit computer fraud and money laundering, and he faces up to 65 years in prison.
8. Wang allegedly received roughly $99 million from the sale of proxied IP addresses between 2018 and 2022 and used some of the proceeds for real estate and luxury vehicles in various countries.
9. Wang was arrested in Singapore and awaits extradition to the United States.
10. The FBI has provided instructions for users to check their devices for the presence of malicious VPN applications and how to remove them.
Please let me know if further details or a summary of specific aspects are required.