Europol Arrests 34 Black Axe Members in Spain Over €5.9M Fraud and Organized Crime

Europol on Friday announced the arrest of 34 individuals in Spain who are alleged to be part of an international criminal organization called Black Axe. As part of an operation conducted by the Spanish National Police, in coordination with the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office and Europol, 28...

Bitfinex Hack Convict Ilya Lichtenstein Released Early Under U.S. First Step Act

Ilya Lichtenstein, who was sentenced to prison last year for money laundering charges in connection with his role in the massive hack of cryptocurrency exchange Bitfinex in 2016, said he has been released early. In a post shared on X last week, the 38-year-old announced his release, crediting U.S...

Operation Eastwood: Measuring the Real Impact on NoName057(16)

Introduction On July 16, 2025, Europol revealed the details of Operation Eastwood, a coordinated international strike against one of the most active pro-Russian cybercrime groups, NoName057016. The announcement promised a major disruption to the group’s activities. In this blog, we explore whethe...

INTERPOL Arrests 306 Suspects, Seizes 1,842 Devices in Cross-Border Cybercrime Bust

Law enforcement authorities in seven African countries have arrested 306 suspects and confiscated 1,842 devices as part of an international operation codenamed Red Card that took place between November 2024 and February 2025. The coordinated effort "aims to disrupt and dismantle cross-border...

Emergency Vehicle Lights Can Screw Up a Car's Automated Driving System

Newly published research finds that the flashing lights on police cruisers and ambulances can cause “digital epileptic seizures” in image-based automated driving systems, potentially risking wrecks...

EncroChat Bust Leads to 6,558 Criminals' Arrests and €900 Million Seizure

Europol on Tuesday announced that the takedown of EncroChat in July 2020 led to 6,558 arrests worldwide and the seizure of €900 million in illicit criminal proceeds. The law enforcement agency said that a subsequent joint investigation initiated by French and Dutch authorities intercepted and...

U.S. Authorities Seize 13 Domains Offering Criminal DDoS-for-Hire Services

U.S. authorities have announced the seizure of 13 internet domains that offered DDoS-for-hire services to other criminal actors. The takedown is part of an ongoing international initiative dubbed Operation PowerOFF that's aimed at dismantling criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructures worldwide. The...

U.S. Authorities Seize 13 Domains Offering Criminal DDoS-for-Hire Services

U.S. authorities have announced the seizure of 13 internet domains that offered DDoS-for-hire services to other criminal actors. The takedown is part of an ongoing international initiative dubbed Operation PowerOFF that's aimed at dismantling criminal DDoS-for-hire infrastructures worldwide. The...

FBI Cracks Down on Genesis Market: 119 Arrested in Cybercrime Operation

A joint international law enforcement operation has dismantled Genesis Market, an illegal online marketplace that specialized in the sale of stolen credentials associated with email, bank accounts, and social media platforms. Coinciding with the infrastructure seizure, the major crackdown, which...

FBI Seizes Bot Shop ‘Genesis Market’ Amid Arrests Targeting Operators, Suppliers

Several domain names tied to Genesis Market, a bustling cybercrime store that sold access to passwords and other data stolen from millions of computers infected with malicious software, were seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI today. The domain seizures coincided with more than a...

Encrypted Messaging App Exclu Used by Criminal Groups Cracked by Joint Law Enforcement

A joint law enforcement operation conducted by Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland has cracked yet another encrypted messaging application named Exclu used by organized crime groups. Eurojust, in a press statement, said the February 3 exercise resulted in the arrests of 45 individuals across...

‘An0m’ Encrypted-Chat Sting Leads to Arrest of 800

Law enforcement agencies have been selling encrypted phones to organized crime gangs for years, monitoring their conversations in what’s being called the biggest law enforcement sting ever. Since 2018, agencies have been overseeing the distribution of hardened, encrypted devices that have enabled...

Joker’s Stash Carding Market to Call it Quits

Jokers Stash, by some accounts the largest underground shop for selling stolen credit card and identity data, says its closing up shop effective mid-February 2021. The announcement came on the heels of a turbulent year for the major cybercrime store, and just weeks after U.S. and European...

Europol Shuts Down Two Major Illegal 'Dark Web' Trading Platforms

Europol announced the shut down of two prolific dark web marketplaces—Wall Street Market and Silkkitie also known as Valhalla—in simultaneous global operations against underground websites for trading drugs, stolen credit card numbers, malicious software, and other illegal goods. Police in wester...

FBI Seizes 15 DDoS-For-Hire Websites, 3 Operators Charged

The FBI just saved the Christmas. The U.S. Justice Department announced earlier today that the FBI has seized domains of 15 "DDoS-for-hire" websites and charged three individuals running some of these services. DDoS-for-hire, or "Booter" or "Stresser," services rent out access to a network of...

Tor Network Is Under Attack through Directory Authority Servers Seizures

Tor has been targeted once again, but this time at a much larger scale. A new attack on Tor network reportedly would either completely shut it down worldwide or turn it into evil network. This time Tor – an internet browser which allows people to maintain their anonymity online by protecting thei...

EFF Argues For Search Warrant Requirement to Get Cell Location Data

With each day bringing new information about the way that intelligence agencies and law enforcement are tracking the activities and movements of U.S. citizens, the issue of when these organizations can legally obtain such data has become a major one. Now, a case that seemingly has little connecti...

microsoft disrupts zeroaccess botnet

Microsoft’s crusade against botnets raged on yesterday as the Redmond, Wash., computer giant and a coalition of law enforcement agencies and Internet security companies disrupted the notorious ZeroAccess botnet. ZeroAccess, or Sirefef as Microsoft likes to call it, is a malware platform that...