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WASHINGTON: A Chinese national has been arrested in an international operation in Singapore and accused of creating and using malware used for cyberattacks, large-scale fraud and child exploitation.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) confirmed that Wang Yun He, 35, was arrested at his home in Singapore on May 24 for his alleged involvement in cybercrime activities in the United States.
In response to queries from CNA on Thursday (May 30), the Singapore police said the arrest followed an extradition request from the United States, which has an extradition treaty with Singapore.
U.S. officials said Wang ran a large botnet for nearly a decade.
The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday cited FBI Director Christopher Wray as saying that the “911 S5” botnet – a network of malware-infected computers spanning nearly 200 countries – may be the largest botnet in the world.
The botnet allegedly amassed millions of dollars in profits by selling use of these computers to criminals, who used them to commit identity theft, child exploitation and financial fraud, including pandemic relief scams.
Brett Leatherman, deputy assistant director for cyber operations at the FBI, said search warrants had been executed in Singapore and Thailand.
The U.S. Department of Justice said in a May 29 statement that Wang and other unnamed individuals were suspected of “creating and distributing malware to infiltrate and attack millions of home Windows computer networks around the world.”
The DOJ said that from 2018 to July 2022, Wang earned $99 million by selling hijacked proxy IP addresses for cryptocurrency or fiat currency.
Cybercriminals purchased access to infected IP addresses, then bypassed financial fraud detection systems and “stole billions of dollars from financial institutions, credit card issuers and federal loan programs,” the report said.
That included 560,000 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims from compromised IP addresses, resulting in losses of more than $5.9 billion, the Justice Department said.
The indictment alleges that Wang used the illegal proceeds to purchase 21 properties in the United States, China, Singapore, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, and St. Kitts and Nevis, and obtained citizenship in those countries through investment.
Wang’s assets and properties allegedly include sports cars, more than a dozen domestic and foreign bank accounts, more than two dozen cryptocurrency wallets and luxury watches.
“Script Excerpt”
Matthew Axelrod, assistant secretary for export enforcement at the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, said the crimes alleged against Wang were “like something out of a script.”
He said: “The scheme was designed to sell access to millions of malware-infected computers around the world, enabling criminals around the world to steal billions of dollars, send bomb threats and exchange child exploitation material – and then use the scheme’s nearly $100 million in profits to buy luxury cars, watches and real estate.”
Officials estimated that 560,000 fraudulent unemployment insurance claims originated from compromised IP addresses.
Wang allegedly managed the botnet through 150 dedicated servers, half of which were rented from online service providers in the United States.
The U.S. Department of Justice said the operation was a multi-agency collaboration led by law enforcement from the United States, Singapore, Thailand and Germany.
Singapore police said on Thursday that they and the Attorney General’s Chambers have been working with the Ministry of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the case since August 2022.
Police said the U.S.-led investigation was ongoing.
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