Massive Botnet Linked to Stolen COVID-19 Relief Funds

The United States Department of Justice announced charges against a 35-year-old Chinese national, Yunhee Wang, for operating a massive botnet tied to billions in stolen COVID-19 relief funds. Wang distributed malware through pop-up VPN services and peer-to-peer networks, compromising computers worldwide for criminal activities, including fraud and child exploitation. The infected computers provided Wang's customers with a backdoor to hide their identities, allowing them to commit various crimes across nearly 200 countries. This illicit proxy service, known as 911-S5, has been described by the FBI Director as potentially the world's largest botnet ever.