Operation KillSwitch: Teenager suspected of leading KillSec ransomware group


On 30 September 2026, law enforcement took control of KillSec’s leak site, securing at least 110 terabytes of data against further unauthorised access. The cybercrime group used the site to threaten organisations with the publication of stolen files unless they paid a ransom.

The action was part of Operation KillSwitch, an international investigation led by German authorities into around 1 000 suspected attacks worldwide. Investigators identified a 16-year-old as the group’s suspected main operator. Three suspects were provisionally arrested and eight properties searched in Greece, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Authorities also targeted the group’s criminal proceeds.

KillSec stole sensitive data by exploiting vulnerabilities and poorly secured access points to organisations’ systems. Around 500 of the suspected attacks have so far been identified as successful. This figure may change as investigators examine the evidence seized during the operation.

Read more…
Source:  EUROPOL News


Sign up for the Cyber Security Review Newsletter
The latest cyber security news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Cops Are Confident iPhone Hackers Have Found a Workaround to Apple’s New Security Feature

    June 14, 2018

    Apple confirmed to The New York Times Wednesday it was going to introduce a new security feature, first reported by Motherboard. USB Restricted Mode, as the new feature is called, essentially turns the iPhone’s lightning cable port into a charge-only interface if someone hasn’t unlocked the device with its passcode within the last hour, meaning phone forensic tools shouldn’t be able ...

  • Telco intercepts should be expanded to OTT providers: AGD

    May 14, 2018

    The Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) has argued in favour of extending Australia’s telecommunications interception laws from telcos to over-the-top providers. Speaking before the Joint Committee on Law Enforcement on Friday, AGD Assistant Secretary Andrew Warnes said this expansion would help combat the “challenge of encryption”. Read more… Source:  

  • FBI: Cyber-Fraud Losses Rise to Reach $1.4B

    May 8, 2018

    About 301,580 consumers reported cyber-fraud and malware attacks to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) last year – with reported losses exceeding a whopping $1.4 billion. The year’s haul of reports brings the overall total of complaints since the IC3 began recording such things to 4 million. Read more… Source: ThreatPost  

  • ThaiCERT Seizes Hidden Cobra Server Linked to GhostSecret, Sony Attacks

    April 27, 2018

    Thailand’s Computer Emergency Response Team (ThaiCERT) has seized a server operated by the North Korea-linked Hidden Cobra APT, which is used to control the global GhostSecret espionage campaign. The campaign is still ongoing. ThaiCERT said in an alert on Wednesday that it is working with McAfee and law enforcement to analyze the control server, which was located at ...

  • Cyber crime now “generates $1.5tn per year”

    April 20, 2018

    Cyber crime generates $1.5tn (£1.1tn) in revenue every year, according to a groundbreaking report released at RSA Conference on Friday. The research, conducted by Surrey University criminologist Michael McGuire and commissioned by security firm Bromium, reveals that if cyber crime was a country, it would have the 13th highest GDP in the world. According to McGuire’s “conservative ...

  • Proposal Gives EU Judges Power To Demand Data Across Borders

    April 17, 2018

    The ‘e-evidence’ law would force tech firms to hand over data within as little as six hours The European Commission is to publish proposed rules on Tuesday that would give national judges in the EU the ability to compel tech companies to quickly hand over information stored outside the bloc, in cases of serious crime. The digital evidence ...