US Department of Justice: Chinese citizen arrested as part of international operation, malware allegations

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department said a Chinese national had been arrested as part of an international operation on suspicion of developing and using malware used in cyberattacks, large-scale fraud and child abuse.

Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper reported on Thursday that the man, 35-year-old Wang Yunhe, was arrested in the city-state on May 24.

In a statement on May 29, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wang and other unnamed individuals allegedly “developed and distributed malware to compromise and create a network of millions of private Windows computers worldwide.”

From 2018 to July 2022, Wang received $99 million from the sale of the hijacked proxy IP addresses, either in cryptocurrency or fiat currency, the Justice Department said.

“Wang used the illicit proceeds to purchase real estate in the United States, St. Kitts and Nevis, China, Singapore, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates,” the Justice Department statement said.

Wang’s assets and possessions included sports cars, more than a dozen domestic and international bank accounts, over two dozen cryptocurrency wallets, luxury watches, and 21 real estate properties in several countries.

(Reporting by Xinghui Kok; Editing by John Mair)