US authorities said on Thursday they had seized an internet domain that was selling malware that criminals use to steal data from victims' computers and take control of them.
The Department of Justice said in a statement that worldwiredlabs.com was seized by federal authorities in Los Angeles as part of an international law enforcement operation.
The statement said the site sold NetWire, a type of malware known as a Remote Access Trojan, which is "sophisticated software capable of attacking and infecting any operating system."
According to Los Angeles court documents, the software enabled covert surveillance, created administratively controlled "backdoors," and allowed unfettered, unauthorized remote access to victims' computers without their knowledge or permission.
It is not known how often malware was purchased from a malware removal site. NetWire first appeared in 2012 and has been used for everything from credit card fraud to attacks on the healthcare and banking sectors, digital rights watchdog Citizen Lab said in a 2017 report.
"Criminals use NetWire around the world, and our response is to destroy the infrastructure that causes immeasurable harm to victims around the world," US Attorney General Martin Estrada said in a statement.
The Justice Ministry statement added that a Croatian national responsible for the site was arrested in his country on Tuesday, while Swiss law enforcement agencies separately seized computer servers hosting the malware infrastructure.
The seizure comes as US authorities work to increase cooperation with other countries to investigate cybercrimes that often cross borders.
A new cybersecurity strategy unveiled by the White House last week called for stronger alliances with foreign governments.
The new National Cybersecurity Strategy aims to shift the burden of defending cyberspace in the United States to software companies and service providers.