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In a major European operation, Europol not only took servers belonging to malware gangs offline and took over domains, but the police also managed, exceptionally, to arrest four
In a major European operation, Europol not only took servers belonging to malware gangs offline and took over domains, but the police also managed, exceptionally, to arrest four criminals.
Europol is celebrating a major victory over cybercrime. In a major operation between May 27 and 29, European police forces targeted botnets and servers that play a role in the spread of ransomware. The operation was called “Operation Endgame”.
Operation Endgame resulted in four arrests, one in Armenia and three in Ukraine. This is unusual: international police operations are increasingly successful in combating malware gangs, but in practice they have mainly targeted infrastructure and left the actual criminals untouched. For example, the UK NCA took over the LockBit website and the leader of this gang was exposed earlier this month. However, since he lives in Russia, he should not be afraid of the police.
One of the four arrested is believed to be in possession of crypto coins worth 69 million euros, which stem from digital extortion activities. This asset has been confiscated. Eight other suspects are on the run and are on Europe’s wanted list.
In addition to the success of the physical arrests, Operation Endgame also disrupted the operations of several botnets, including IcedID, Smokeloader, SystemBC, Pikabot and Bumblebee networks. In addition, police undermined the operations of more than a hundred Internet servers and seized more than 2,000 domain names.
The large international operation was led by France, Germany and the Netherlands, with support from Eurojust, Denmark, the United Kingdom and the United States. Armenia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland and Ukraine also cooperated, including through house searches and the arrests mentioned above.
Europol also mentions the support of partners from the private security sector. Bitdefender, Cryptolaemus, Sekoia, Shadowserver, Team Cymru, Prodaft, Proofpoint, NFIR, Computest, Northwave, Fox-IT, HaveIBeenPwned, Spamhaus and DIVD receive an honorable mention.
Finally, Europol points out that Operation Endgame is not over yet. The campaign will feature a trendy website where the services will make it clear to criminals that they are in their sights. The first season is running now, it sounds like. The site will feature short videos indicating that Europol is actively penetrating the criminal environment. Hackers are asked to think about their next step and voluntarily contact Europol.
Source: IT Daily
As an experienced journalist and author, Mary has been reporting on the latest news and trends for over 5 years. With a passion for uncovering the stories behind the headlines, Mary has earned a reputation as a trusted voice in the world of journalism. Her writing style is insightful, engaging and thought-provoking, as she takes a deep dive into the most pressing issues of our time.
