The US FBI managed to gain access to the entire infrastructure of the Qakbot botnet and destroy it. As a result of a large-scale operation, $8.6 million in cryptocurrency was confiscated.

Experts have identified more than 700,000 infected computers worldwide, of which more than 200,000 were located in the United States. Infected computers were also found in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Latvia and the UK.

All $8.6 million that was confiscated as a result of the operation will be returned to the victims, authorities said.

“Victims ranged from financial institutions on the East Coast to a government critical infrastructure contractor in the Midwest to a medical equipment manufacturer on the West Coast,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray.

According to CertiK, in August of this year, criminals were able to steal about $45 million worth of cryptocurrencies. In total, users have lost $997 million in fraudulent schemes since the beginning of the year.

North Korean hackers stole $180 million in cryptocurrencies in the first half of 2023, according to Asia Today, citing law enforcement agencies in South Korea.