Four individuals have been arrested in Ukraine and Armenia, and over 100 internet servers have been taken down or disrupted in a major European cybercrime sting, Europol announced on Thursday.
Details of the Operation
Conducted between May 27 and 29, the operation was described by Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, as “the largest ever operation against botnets, which play a major role in the deployment of ransomware.” The dismantled botnets include IcedID, Smokeloader, SystemBC, Pikabot, and Bumblebee.
Operation Endgame
The sting, named Operation Endgame, was initiated and led by France, Germany, and the Netherlands, involving several other countries including Britain, the United States, and Ukraine, Europol detailed in a statement. “With the international Operation Endgame, our investigative authorities have succeeded in dealing the biggest and most significant blow against cybercrime to date,” German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated.
Impact on Cybercrime Infrastructure
The extensive police investigation successfully disrupted the infrastructure from which large-scale ransomware attacks were launched, capturing, encrypting, and subsequently blackmailing victims. Faeser highlighted that such criminal activities have caused substantial economic damage to Germany.
Arrests and Seizures
According to Europol, one of the arrests occurred in Armenia and the other three in Ukraine. More than 2,000 domains are now under law enforcement control. The malware associated with these botnets allowed cybercriminals to connect to individuals’ computers covertly for malicious activities.
Investigators revealed that one of the main suspects had earned at least 69 million euros ($75 million) in cryptocurrency by renting out criminal infrastructure for deploying ransomware.
