Agencies across the world have all pulled together in pursuit of people behind the ‘Butterfly Botnet’; a particularly nasty piece of work with a peak infection number of more than 11 million computers. The Butterfly Botnet, sometimes identified as the Mariposa Botnet, has been a thorn in the side of cybercrime agencies for years. International agencies, including the FBI, have announced the arrest of 10 people for their part in the crimes.
The Mariposa botnet has been around since 2008, though today could mark its death. More than $850 million was lost through Yahos, only one part of the Butterfly Botnet. Yahos targeted Facebook users from 2010 until October 2012, masquerading as a number of different things, including NVIDIA graphics card drivers.
Once Yahos reached a system, it would copy personal information, bank account details, and credit card numbers. From here it would display ads to users on occasion, and aid in DDoS attacks as part of a much larger botnet.
Matjaž Škorjanc (better known as Iserdo) is seen as the origin of the botnet. Iserdo was a failed medical student living in Maribor, Slovenia, having been arrested for his crimes back in 2010. Iserdo"s role was of much significance, and Panda Security offers an excellent write-up on his actions. Others had been arrested before, but Iserdo"s arrest seemed to capture most media attention.
Source: FBI