Story highlights DOJ announces actions to dismantle Kelihos botnet malware network

A botnet is a network of computers that have been infected with malware

(CNN) The US Department of Justice announced an "extensive effort to disrupt and dismantle" a network of thousands of compromised computers under the control of an alleged cybercriminal, a statement released Monday said.

The "botnet" was responsible for the sending of hundreds of millions of spam e-mails, intercepting users' online and financial credentials and "installing ransomware and other malicious software," according to the statement.

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A botnet is a sophisticated network of computers that have been infected with malware, placing them under the control of a hacker who can "weaponize" them to do his or her bidding.

"The ability of botnets like Kelihos to be weaponized quickly for vast and varied types of harms is a dangerous and deep threat to all Americans, driving at the core of how we communicate, network, earn a living, and live our everyday lives," said Kenneth Blanco, acting assistant attorney general.

The move to dismantle the Kelihos botnet comes on the heels of the arrest on Friday of Russian hacker Peter Levashov in Spain, and will "redirect Kelihos-infected computers to a substitute server" in order to flag machines that have become part of Levashov's network, and block communication between the compromised computer and the criminal operator.

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