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:

  • Chinese police put 3 U.S. operatives on wanted list over cyberattacks

    April 15, 2025

    Police authorities in Harbin, in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, said on Tuesday that they are pursuing three operatives affiliated with the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) over suspected cyberattacks against China. The Harbin public security bureau said that the three operatives — Katheryn A. Wilson, Robert J. Snelling, and Stephen W. Johnson — had been ...

  • 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 ...