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Largest ever operation against botnets hits dropper malware ecosystem | Europol
Largest ever operation against botnets hits dropper malware ecosystem | Europol
Between 27 and 29 May 2024 Operation Endgame, coordinated from Europol’s headquarters, targeted droppers including, IcedID, SystemBC, Pikabot, Smokeloader, Bumblebee and Trickbot. The actions focused on disrupting criminal services through arresting High Value Targets, taking down the criminal infrastructures and freezing illegal proceeds. This approach had a global impact on the dropper ecosystem. The malware, whose infrastructure was taken down...
·europol.europa.eu·
Largest ever operation against botnets hits dropper malware ecosystem | Europol
Europol confirms web portal breach, says no operational data stolen
Europol confirms web portal breach, says no operational data stolen
Europol, the European Union's law enforcement agency, confirmed that its Europol Platform for Experts (EPE) portal was breached and is now investigating the incident after a threat actor claimed they stole For Official Use Only (FOUO) documents containing classified data. #Breach #Computer #Data #EPE #Europol #InfoSec #Leak #Security #Theft
·bleepingcomputer.com·
Europol confirms web portal breach, says no operational data stolen
Operation PANDORA shuts down 12 phone fraud call centres
Operation PANDORA shuts down 12 phone fraud call centres
Operation PANDORA started with a bank teller in Freiburg, Germany. When in December 2023 a customer asked to withdraw over EUR 100 000 in cash, the bank teller grew suspicious and quickly learned the customer had fallen victim to a ‘fake police officer scam’. He informed the real police, which prevented the victim from handing the money over to the...
·europol.europa.eu·
Operation PANDORA shuts down 12 phone fraud call centres
Police arrests LockBit ransomware members, release decryptor in global crackdown
Police arrests LockBit ransomware members, release decryptor in global crackdown
Law enforcement arrested two operators of the LockBit ransomware gang in Poland and Ukraine, created a decryption tool to recover encrypted files for free, and seized over 200 crypto-wallets after hacking the cybercrime gang's servers in an international crackdown operation.
·bleepingcomputer.com·
Police arrests LockBit ransomware members, release decryptor in global crackdown
Law enforcement disrupt world’s biggest ransomware operation
Law enforcement disrupt world’s biggest ransomware operation
LockBit is widely recognised as the world’s most prolific and harmful ransomware, causing billions of euros worth of damage.This international sweep follows a complex investigation led by the UK National Crime Agency in the framework of an international taskforce known as ‘Operation Cronos’, coordinated at European level by Europol and Eurojust.The months-long operation has resulted in the compromise of LockBit’s...
·europol.europa.eu·
Law enforcement disrupt world’s biggest ransomware operation
Cryptojacker arrested in Ukraine over EUR 1.8 million mining scheme
Cryptojacker arrested in Ukraine over EUR 1.8 million mining scheme
The 29-year-old individual was apprehended in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on 9 January. Three properties were searched to gather evidence against the main suspect. The arrest comes after months of intensive collaboration between Ukrainian authorities, Europol and a cloud provider, who worked tirelessly to identify and locate the individual behind the widespread cryptojacking operation.The suspect is believed to have mined over USD...
·europol.europa.eu·
Cryptojacker arrested in Ukraine over EUR 1.8 million mining scheme
Early Warning Notification - the use of Bluetooth trackers for geolocation in organised crime | Europol
Early Warning Notification - the use of Bluetooth trackers for geolocation in organised crime | Europol
Bluetooth Trackers Exploited for Geolocation in Organised CrimeBluetooth trackers, commonly used for locating personal items and vehicles, have become an unexpected tool in organised crime, according to recent findings reported by Europol in an Early Warning Notification. Typically designed for purposes such as finding lost keys or preventing vehicle theft, Bluetooth trackers are now being leveraged by criminals for geo-locating...
·europol.europa.eu·
Early Warning Notification - the use of Bluetooth trackers for geolocation in organised crime | Europol
Ragnar Locker ransomware gang taken down by international police swoop
Ragnar Locker ransomware gang taken down by international police swoop
This action, coordinated at international level by Europol and Eurojust, targeted the Ragnar Locker ransomware group. The group were responsible for numerous high-profile attacks against critical infrastructure across the world. In an action carried out between 16 and 20 October, searches were conducted in Czechia, Spain and Latvia. The “key target” of this malicious ransomware strain was arrested in Paris,...
·europol.europa.eu·
Ragnar Locker ransomware gang taken down by international police swoop
Qakbot botnet infrastructure shattered after international operation
Qakbot botnet infrastructure shattered after international operation
Active since 2007, this prolific malware (also known as QBot or Pinkslipbot) evolved over time using different techniques to infect users and compromise systems. Qakbot infiltrated victims’ computers through spam emails containing malicious attachments or hyperlinks. Once installed on the targeted computer, the malware allowed for infections with next-stage payloads such as ransomware. Additionally, the infected computer became part of...
·europol.europa.eu·
Qakbot botnet infrastructure shattered after international operation
5 arrested in Poland for running bulletproof hosting service for cybercrime gangs | Europol
5 arrested in Poland for running bulletproof hosting service for cybercrime gangs | Europol
Five of its administrators were arrested, and all of its servers seized, rendering LolekHosted.net no longer available.  This latest success in the fight against cybercrime follows a complex investigation supported by Europol and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  Criminal hideouts for lease Bulletproof hosting is a service in which an online infrastructure is offered, and operators will generally...
·europol.europa.eu·
5 arrested in Poland for running bulletproof hosting service for cybercrime gangs | Europol
Dismantling encrypted criminal EncroChat communications leads to over 6 500 arrests and close to EUR 900 million seized
Dismantling encrypted criminal EncroChat communications leads to over 6 500 arrests and close to EUR 900 million seized
The dismantling of EncroChat in 2020 sent shockwaves across OCGs in Europe and beyond. It helped to prevent violent attacks, attempted murders, corruption and large-scale drug transports, as well as obtain large-scale information on organised crime.   OCGs worldwide illegally used the encryption tool EncroChat for criminal purposes. Since the dismantling, investigators managed to intercept, share and analyse over 115...
·europol.europa.eu·
Dismantling encrypted criminal EncroChat communications leads to over 6 500 arrests and close to EUR 900 million seized
The criminal use of ChatGPT – a cautionary tale about large language models
The criminal use of ChatGPT – a cautionary tale about large language models
In response to the growing public attention given to ChatGPT, the Europol Innovation Lab organised a number of workshops with subject matter experts from across Europol to explore how criminals can abuse large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, as well as how it may assist investigators in their daily work.
·europol.europa.eu·
The criminal use of ChatGPT – a cautionary tale about large language models
Germany and Ukraine hit two high-value ransomware targets
Germany and Ukraine hit two high-value ransomware targets
This ransomware appeared in 2019, when cybercriminals started using it to launch attacks against organisations and critical infrastructure and industries. Based on the BitPaymer ransomware and part of the Dridex malware family, DoppelPaymer used a unique tool capable of compromising defence mechanisms by terminating the security-related process of the attacked systems. The DoppelPaymer attacks were enabled by the prolific EMOTET...
·europol.europa.eu·
Germany and Ukraine hit two high-value ransomware targets
Cybercriminals stung as HIVE infrastructure shut down
Cybercriminals stung as HIVE infrastructure shut down
In the last year, HIVE ransomware has been identified as a major threat as it has been used to compromise and encrypt the data and computer systems of large IT and oil multinationals in the EU and the USA. Since June 2021, over 1 500 companies from over 80 countries worldwide have fallen victim to HIVE associates and lost almost...
·europol.europa.eu·
Cybercriminals stung as HIVE infrastructure shut down
Bitzlato: senior management arrested
Bitzlato: senior management arrested
Almost half of all Bitzlato transactions linked to criminal activities Targeting crucial crime facilitators such as crypto exchanges is becoming a key priority in the battle against cybercrime. Bitzlato allowed the rapid conversion of various crypto-assets such as bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin, bitcoin cash, dash, dogecoin and USDT into Russian roubles. It is estimated that the crypto exchange platform has received...
·europol.europa.eu·
Bitzlato: senior management arrested
Global crackdown against DDoS services shuts down most popular platforms
Global crackdown against DDoS services shuts down most popular platforms
Known as Operation Power Off, this operation saw law enforcement in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Poland and Germany take action against these types of attacks which can paralyse the internet.   The services seized were by far the most popular DDoS booter services on the market, receiving top billing on search engines. One such service taken...
·europol.europa.eu·
Global crackdown against DDoS services shuts down most popular platforms
Facing reality? Law enforcement and the challenge of deepfakes
Facing reality? Law enforcement and the challenge of deepfakes
‘Facing reality? Law enforcement and the challenge of deepfakes’ is the first report produced through the Observatory function of the Europol Innovation Lab. The Europol Innovation Lab’s Observatory function monitors technological developments that are relevant for law enforcement and reports on the risks, threats and opportunities of these emerging technologies. The report provides a detailed overview of the criminal use...
·europol.europa.eu·
Facing reality? Law enforcement and the challenge of deepfakes
Takedown of SMS-based FluBot spyware infecting Android phones
Takedown of SMS-based FluBot spyware infecting Android phones
This technical achievement follows a complex investigation involving law enforcement authorities of Australia, Belgium, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States, with the coordination of international activity carried out by Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre (EC3).  The investigation is ongoing to identify the individuals behind this global malware campaign.  Here is how FluBot worked  First spotted...
·europol.europa.eu·
Takedown of SMS-based FluBot spyware infecting Android phones
The criminal use of ChatGPT – a cautionary tale about large language models
The criminal use of ChatGPT – a cautionary tale about large language models
In response to the growing public attention given to ChatGPT, the Europol Innovation Lab organised a number of workshops with subject matter experts from across Europol to explore how criminals can abuse large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT, as well as how it may assist investigators in their daily work.
·europol.europa.eu·
The criminal use of ChatGPT – a cautionary tale about large language models
Germany and Ukraine hit two high-value ransomware targets
Germany and Ukraine hit two high-value ransomware targets
This ransomware appeared in 2019, when cybercriminals started using it to launch attacks against organisations and critical infrastructure and industries. Based on the BitPaymer ransomware and part of the Dridex malware family, DoppelPaymer used a unique tool capable of compromising defence mechanisms by terminating the security-related process of the attacked systems. The DoppelPaymer attacks were enabled by the prolific EMOTET...
·europol.europa.eu·
Germany and Ukraine hit two high-value ransomware targets