An joint US-Canada law enforcement operation has led to the arrest of a 23-year-old Canadian man accused of running one of the most powerful cybercrime networks in recent history, Bleeping Computer reports.
Jacob Butler of Ottawa, known online by the alias “Dort,” was taken into custody by Canadian authorities following a criminal complaint unsealed in Alaska. The U.S. government is currently seeking his extradition to face a federal charge of aiding and abetting computer intrusion.
If convicted in the U.S., Butler faces up to 10 years in prison. He is also facing multiple local cyber-mischief and unauthorized computer use charges in Canada.
The arrest is part of a massive, multi-country crackdown that began in March 2026. During that initial phase, police agencies across the U.S., Canada, and Germany worked with private tech companies to seize control of servers powering four dangerous botnets: Aisuru, JackSkid, Mossad, and KimWolf.
Security experts had long tracked the “Dort” persona online, and independent journalist Brian Krebs publicly named Butler as the suspected operator earlier this year. Though Butler previously denied the allegations, court documents reveal that investigators built a clear digital trail.
Agents tracked him down through account records, online chat logs, financial transactions, and internet protocol addresses provided by his internet provider, Bell Canada. Prosecutors noted that Butler made critical security slip-ups by logging into his personal Gmail account and his criminal Discord accounts from the exact same home internet address.
For those who aren’t familiar, a botnet is a network of hacked devices controlled by a single master hacker. While older botnets usually targeted internet routers or office computers, KimWolf operated differently. The malware specifically hunted down everyday consumer electronics that people normally assume are safe behind home firewalls. This included smart web cameras, streaming TV boxes, and digital photo frames.
Once infected, these household items became part of a massive, invisible robot army. Security companies like Cloudflare and Amazon reported that KimWolf managed to infect up to two million devices globally.
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