It is unlikely that those responsible for operating the Mariposa botnet will be punished for their crimes.

Luis Corrons, technical director at Panda Security, says it is unlikely that those responsible for operating the infamous Mariposa botnet will be punished for their crimes, reports V3.co.uk.

In December 2009, the botnet was shut down by a group of volunteers calling itself the Mariposa Working Group. Three months later, three men were arrested by Spanish authorities for their connection with Mariposa.

However, operating a botnet does not constitute a crime in Spain. Says Corrons:

The police have to prove that they stole information and then used that information to get money. This may take years, and the police have said: 'We think they're not going to jail.' It's really frustrating for us and them.

It is believed that Mariposa poisoned 12.7 million PCs in 190 countries.