Europol together with partners from across the globe today announces a landmark blow to cybercriminal networks as part of Operation Endgame, a sweeping international operation targeting the criminal infrastructure behind ransomware and malware like SocGholish, Amadey, and StealC. In coordinated actions over the past two weeks, key components of these malicious toolkits were dismantled as part of a public-private effort.
This included law enforcement from Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States, the US software company Microsoft and other private partners, with the international activity coordinated by Europol and Eurojust. The main common goal was to disrupt the “assembly lines” cybercriminals use to launch ransomware, financial fraud, and attacks on critical infrastructure.
Read more…
Source: EUROPOL
Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Operation Endgame follow-up leads to five detentions and interrogations as well as server takedowns
April 9, 2025
Following the massive botnet takedown codenamed Operation Endgame in May 2024, which shut down the biggest malware droppers, including IcedID, SystemBC, Pikabot, Smokeloader and Bumblebee, law enforcement agencies across North America and Europe dealt another blow to the malware ecosystem in early 2025. In a coordinated series of actions, customers of the Smokeloader pay-per-install botnet, operated ...
- UK: Man charged after cyber attack saw terror messages displayed at train stations
April 1, 2025
A man has been charged after a cyber attack saw terror messages displayed across screens at Scotland’s busiest train stations. British Transport Police received multiple reports of a cyber security incident affecting Network Rail Wi-Fi services, provided by a third party, that displayed imagery “intended to incite religious hatred” on September 25, 2024. Network Rail said ...
- UK: Parents arrested after making ‘disparaging’ comments about school in WhatsApp chat
March 29, 2025
A mother and father have said they were arrested in front of their young daughter and held in a cell for 11 hours after making “disparaging” comments about her school. Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine Hertfordshire Constabulary officers turned up at their home after the school objected to criticisms. The couple were questioned on suspicion of ...
- Longtime FBI agent charged with disclosing classified records
March 20, 2025
A longtime FBI agent has been charged with unlawfully taking and disclosing classified FBI files, according to court records reviewed by CBS News. Johnathan Buma, who specialized in national security and terror cases, has been released on $100,000 bond, with orders to appear in court in Los Angeles. Buma was arrested as he boarded an international ...
- Fake BianLian Ransomware Letters in Circulation
March 19, 2025
On March 5, the FBI issued an alert regarding a mail scam targeting U.S. business executives with extortion. The letters claim to be from noted ransomware group BianLian, demanding a payment in Bitcoin ranging from $250,000 to $500,000 within ten days of receipt. The FBI alert reads as follows: “Stamped “Time Sensitive Read Immediately”, the letter ...
- UK National Crime Agency officer charged following alleged Bitcoin theft
March 13, 2025
An officer from the National Crime Agency (NCA) has been charged after the alleged theft of Bitcoin. Paul Chowles, 42, from Bristol, is charged with 15 offences relating to the alleged theft of 50 Bitcoin during an investigation into online organised crime, a spokeswoman for Merseyside Police said. According to the force, the cryptocurrency was worth ...