German security authorities, in collaboration with international partners, have successfully dismantled major cybercriminal operations.
More than 100 servers and over 1,300 criminally used web addresses were rendered harmless.
According to the German news outlet Tagesschau, the Frankfurt am Main Public Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) were involved in this operation.
Several of the most influential malware families, including “IcedID,” “SystemBC,” “Bumblebee,” “Smokeloader,” “Pikabot,” and “Trickbot,” were taken offline.
The operation targeted the groups behind these malware families, which serve as droppers to infiltrate networks and install ransomware.
Ransomware encrypts victims' data, and victims typically have to pay a large ransom to regain access.
During the operation, 69 million euros belonging to one operator were confiscated, and 99 crypto wallets with a total value of over 70 million euros were blocked on crypto exchanges.
As part of the coordinated measures taken by the German authorities, ten international arrest warrants were issued, and four individuals were provisionally arrested. Germany has issued arrest warrants for a total of eight individuals suspected of being members of a criminal organization that distributes malware.
Searches were conducted in Armenia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Ukraine, resulting in the seizure of numerous pieces of evidence.
