FBI Arrests More 'Botherders'

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation announced this week that more “botherders” — operators of compromised computer networks known as “botnets” — have been arrested as part of an ongoing initiative to disrupt botnets and the criminal enterprises that use them.

The FBI initiative, codenamed “Operation Bot Roast,” has identified more than 1 million IP addresses of computers that have been compromised and drawn into the botnets run by spammers, hackers and other manner of cyber criminals.

“The majority of victims are not even aware that their computer has been compromised or their personal information exploited,” said James Finch, assistant director for the Cyber Division of the FBI. “An attacker gains control by infecting the computer with a virus or other malicious code and the computer continues to operate normally.”

Thus far, the FBI has announced three arrests connected to Operation Bot Roast, including the arrest earlier this month of so-called “Spam King” Robert Alan Soloway in Seattle.

In addition to Soloway, the FBI also has detained James Brewer of Arlington, Texas and Jason Michael Downey of Covington, Ky. Brewer is alleged to have operated a botnet that infected hospitals in the Chicago area, while Downey is alleged to have used botnets to initiate distributed denial of service attacks.

The FBI recommended that consumers take steps to protect their computers from remote exploits, including updating their anti-virus software, installing a firewall, using strong and unobvious passwords and “practicing good email and web security practices.”

Consumers can report fraudulent activity and financial scams to their nearest FBI office or police department, and file complaints online with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

UK Lawmaker Calls for Appointment of 'Porn Minister'

Baroness Gabrielle Bertin, the Conservative member of Parliament who recently convened a new anti-pornography task force, is calling for the appointment of a “minister for porn,” according to British news outlet The Guardian.

FSC Toasts Jeffrey Douglas for 30 Years of Service

n the very same evening when the adult industry was hit hard by the Supreme Court ruling supporting Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181, members of the Free Speech Coalition board, staff and supporters gathered to celebrate Jeffrey Douglas’ 30 years as board chair — a fitting reflection of his reputation as an eternal optimist.

TTS Opens UK Testing Location

Talent Testing Service (TTS) has opened a new U.K. location in Ware, Hertfordshire.

FSC: Age-Verification Laws Go Into Effect South Dakota, Georgia, Wyoming on July 1

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has published a statement regarding new age verification laws set to go into effect tomorrow in South Dakota, Georgia, and Wyoming.

FSC Responds to Supreme Court Decision on Texas AV Law

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) has released a statement responding to last week's Supreme Court decision on FSC v. Paxton, the Texas age verification law.

Sex Work CEO Debuts Upgraded 'GPTease' AI Assistant

Sex Work CEO has introduced the new Canvas in-chat editing feature to its AI-powered, NSFW text generator, GPTease.

UPDATED: Supreme Court Rules Against Adult Industry in Pivotal Texas AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday issued its decision in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, striking a blow against the online adult industry by ruling in support of Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

North Carolina Passes Extreme Bill Targeting Adult Sites

The North Carolina state legislature this week ratified a bill that would impose new regulations that industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most adult creators and content.

Supreme Court Ruling Due Friday in FSC v. Paxton AV Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will rule on Friday in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, the adult industry trade association's challenge to Texas’ controversial age verification law, HB 1181.

Ofcom: More Porn Providers Commit to Age Assurance Measures

A number of adult content providers operating in the U.K. have confirmed that they plan to introduce age checks in compliance with the Online Safety Act by the July 25 deadline, according to U.K. media regulator Ofcom.

Show More