At the request of American authorities, a Russian man was arrested by Spanish law enforcement this weekend for allegedly operating one of the world’s largest spamming botnets.
Peter Levashov is suspected of operating the infamous Kelihos botnet since 2010, a spamming operation that resulted in thousands of infected computers and stolen credentials.
The Department of Justice announced Levashov’s arrest today, saying it “demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to finding and eradicating cyber threats no matter where they are in the world.”
Following his arrest, Levashov’s wife told a Russian RT broadcaster that her husband was apprehended because of his ties to the 2016 election hacking that occurred in the U.S., according to an AP report. The U.S. Embassy in Spain has declined to comment on the matter.
