European coordinated strike against ransomware operators
Two ransomware operators known for demands of between €5 to €70 million have been arrested in Ukraine after a coordinated strike between the French National Gendarmerie, the Ukrainian National Police, FBI and Interpol, the EU Commission announced.
“The organised crime group is suspected of having committed a string of targeted attacks against very large industrial groups in Europe and North America from April 2020 onwards. The criminals would deploy malware and steal sensitive data from these companies, before encrypting their files,” the Commission said.
“They would then proceed to offer a decryption key in return for a ransom payment of several millions of euros, threatening to leak the stolen data on the dark web should their demands not be met.”
Results of the action:
- 2 arrests and 7 property searches
- Seizure of US$ 375,000 in cash
- Seizure of two luxury vehicles worth €217,000
- Asset freezing of $1.3 million in cryptocurrencies
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