Hacker arrested on Mariposa botnet charges

The FBI was among the agencies involved in the arrest of an alleged hacker

A computer hacker thought to be behind the Mariposa botnet has been arrested in Slovenia.

The hacker, who goes by the name Iserdo, may have been behind one of the largest botnets ever created, infecting over 12 million computers.

According to Associated Press, which has spoken to the FBI, the arrest was the result of the combined efforts of a number of international law enforcement agencies.

"To use an analogy here, as opposed to arresting the guy who broke into your home, we've arrested the guy that gave him the crowbar, the map and the best houses in the neighbourhood," Jeffrey Troy, deputy assistant director for the FBI cyber division, told Associated Press.

Mariposa did indeed spread itself far and wide, even appearing on Vodafone-backed HTC handsets. Others behind the botnet were arrested earlier this year in another co-ordinated effort.

At that time experts suggested that the virus was so sophisticated that even amateurs could benefit from its code.

Mariposa had compromised an estimated 12.7 million IP addresses in more than 190 countries when it was shut down in June.