Cybercrime exposed: The gang from Ukraine attacked the servers of large companies or organizations in more than seventy countries and caused hundreds of millions of euros in damage, Europol announced in The Hague on Tuesday.
Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, about thirty buildings were searched on Tuesday. According to Europol, the alleged gang leader (32) and his four main accomplices were arrested. They are said to be part of a network that is held responsible for large-scale ransomware attacks.
Action of cyber criminals
According to Europol, the gang placed malicious software in the servers, blocking data and systems. Data and systems were only released after large amounts of ransoms had been paid.
The researchers discovered that more than 250 servers of large companies or organizations had been attacked. The operation involved Europol and the judicial authority Eurojust in The Hague, as well as investigators from seven countries, including Germany and Switzerland.
In this country, according to a Europol announcement, the Federal Police Office (Fedpol), the Basel-Landschaft Police, the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Canton of Zurich and the Cantonal Police of Zurich were involved.
According to the information, the investigations started in 2019 at the initiative of France. The first arrests and searches took place in 2021.
As “Spiegel” writes, researchers suspect that many ransomware extortionists operate from Russia. That’s why the “shutdown banner” on Hive’s darknet page was probably also published in Russian.
Sources
- Press agency DPA
- europol.europa.eu: International collaboration leads to dismantling of ransomware group in Ukraine amid ongoing war (November 28, 2023)
- spiegel.de: Investigators arrest suspected hackers in Ukraine
(t-online/dsc)
Source: Watson
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
