FBI Partners with Europol to Arrest Ransomware Gang, Seizes $1.3 Million in Cryptocurrencies – News

A coordinated strike by Europol, Interpol and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has led to the arrest of two “prolific” ransomware operators who are said to have been responsible for demanding ransoms of up to €70 million. Additionally, $1.3 million worth of cryptocurrencies were seized.

Ransomware Operator Arrested, Crypto Seized

The International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) announced this on Monday:

Two prolific ransomware operators suspected of carrying out a series of attacks and demanding ransoms of up to 70 million euros [$81 million] have been arrested in Ukraine.

The arrests followed “a coordinated strike between the French National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale), the Ukrainian National Police (Національна поліція України) and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under the coordination of Europol and Interpol,” the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) explained. The arrests took place on September 28th.

Authorities conducted seven house searches. They seized $375,000 in cash, two luxury vehicles worth 217,000 euros and $1.3 million in cryptocurrencies.

Europol in detail:

Organized crime is suspected of having carried out a series of targeted attacks on very large industrial groups in Europe and North America starting in April 2020.

“The criminals would use malware and steal sensitive data from these companies before encrypting their files,” Europol continued. “They would then offer a decryption key in exchange for a ransom payment of several million euros and threaten to reveal the stolen data on the Dark Web if their demands are not met.”

What do you think of this coordinated attack? Let us know in the comments section below.

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