Europol breaks up cybercrime gangs in Ukraine

[IceFM]

.....RND/dpa ... 28.11.2023, 13:03 Uhr

Europol breaks up cybercrime gangs in Ukraine

During the war, international investigators from Europol took action against a cybercrime gang in Ukraine. Several people were arrested, including the alleged gang leader. The group also attacked German companies.

The Hague. According to Europol, international investigators have dismantled a global cybercrime gang in Ukraine. The gang attacked the servers of large companies or organizations in more than 70 countries and caused hundreds of millions of euros in damage, Europol said on Tuesday in The Hague.
Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, around 30 buildings were searched on Tuesday. According to Europol, the alleged 32-year-old gang leader and his four main accomplices were arrested. They are said to belong to a network that is believed to be responsible for large-scale ransomware attacks.

Gang demanded large ransom sums

According to Europol, the gang inserted malicious software into the servers, which they used to block data and systems. Data and systems were only released again after large ransom sums were paid.

Investigators found that more than 250 servers belonging to large corporations or organizations had been attacked. According to the Stuttgart public prosecutor's office and the Reutlingen police headquarters, this also included companies in the Friedrichshafen area and the Esslingen district. Europol and the judicial authority Eurojust in The Hague were involved in the operation, as well as investigators from seven countries, including Germany and Switzerland.

According to the information, the investigations were started in 2019 at the initiative of France. The first arrests and searches took place in 2021.