UMVA has learned that a 23-year-old Ottawa man is facing extradition to the United States on charges of involvement in massive cyberattacks that crippled over a million devices worldwide.
The suspect, whose identity has not been publicly disclosed, was allegedly at the helm of two major botnet operations – KimWolf and Aisuru – which were responsible for some of the largest distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks ever recorded. These attacks overwhelmed websites, servers, and networks with fake web traffic, causing widespread disruption.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Ontario Provincial Police began probing the botnet operations in January, working closely with law enforcement agencies in Canada, the U.S., and Germany. The investigation led to a search warrant being executed on March 19 at a residence in Ottawa, where multiple electronic devices were seized.
The suspect, Jacob Butler, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with several counts, including unauthorized use of a computer, possession of a device to obtain unauthorized use of a computer system, and mischief in relation to computer data. He remains in custody pending a court appearance.
“DDoS attacks are borderless crimes,” a police spokesperson said. “The actions of cybercriminals can cause disruption here at home, even when the attack is launched from thousands of kilometres away. Understanding DDoS attacks at a global level is essential to protecting the public.”
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska is seeking Butler’s extradition, charging him with aiding and abetting computer intrusion. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.
The investigation revealed that the KimWolf botnet alone allegedly issued over 25,000 attack commands, resulting in financial losses exceeding $1 million for some victims. Law enforcement connected Butler to the botnet through IP address, online account information, and transaction records.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation is urged to come forward. The authorities are working to bring the perpetrators to justice and prevent future attacks.
