Why the Singapore arrest of alleged botnet king Wang Yunhe is a major blow to cybercrime

Authorities say Wang ran the “911 S5” botnet, a network of malware-infected computers spread across nearly 200 countries

Cybersecurity experts say his recent arrest in Singapore will deal serious damage to the criminals that used his botnet for child exploitation and financial fraud

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Authorities say Wang ran a network of malware-infected computers spread across nearly 200 countries. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 9:37pm, 30 May 2024Updated: 12:12pm, 31 May 2024

The arrest in Singapore of 35-year-old Chinese national Wang Yunhe, who officials said ran a massive botnet for nearly a decade, was a major bust that cybersecurity experts say will cause serious damage to other criminal enterprises.

“Bringing down a botnet is a big thing, it means cutting off access to other cybercriminals who would have used this network of zombie residential computers for nefarious purposes,” said David Siah, the executive vice-president for Southeast Asia-Australia at the Centre of Strategic Cyberspace & International Studies think tank.

The United States’ Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement on Wednesday that Wang had amassed at least US$99 million in profits by reselling access to criminals who used the botnet for identity theft, child exploitation and financial fraud.

The DOJ quoted FBI Director Christopher Wray as saying on Wednesday that the “911 S5” botnet – a network of malware-infected computers in nearly 200 countries – was likely the world’s largest.

Wang was arrested on May 24 at his residence in Singapore, with help from authorities in the city state, the US, Thailand, and Germany.

The Singapore Police Force said on Thursday night that it and the Attorney General’s Chambers have been working with the DOJ and the FBI since August 2022.

Why the Singapore arrest of alleged botnet king Wang Yunhe is a major blow to cybercrime

Authorities say Wang ran the “911 S5” botnet, a network of malware-infected computers spread across nearly 200 countries Cybersecurity experts say his recent arrest in Singapore will deal serious damage to the criminals that used his botnet for child exploitation and financial fraud

Authorities say Wang ran the “911 S5” botnet, a network of malware-infected computers spread across nearly 200 countries

Cybersecurity experts say his recent arrest in Singapore will deal serious damage to the criminals that used his botnet for child exploitation and financial fraud