Operation “Endgame” made it possible to arrest four people and dismantle around a hundred servers. They were behind cyberattacks allowing data theft. But the operation will continue well beyond this action.
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The European police agency in The Hague, Europol, announced on Thursday May 30 that it had carried out the largest malware dismantling operation. Four people have been arrested and more than 100 servers taken offline as part of Operation Endgame, but it is not over.
This international operation, of unprecedented scale, was called “Endgame”, or “end of the game” in French. France, Germany and the Netherlands took the initiative but it was coordinated in The Hague with the support of many other countries: Denmark, the United Kingdom and even the United States… Private organizations also donated a helping hand to destroy and dismantle these 100 servers which were the first brick used to carry out computer attacks.
These servers are notably known under the names “Bokbot”, which was used to steal financial data from banks, or “Pikabot”, used to obtain and steal data. This software makes it possible to infiltrate computers and deploy ransomware, via compromised emails or websites, by encouraging people to click on links.
One of the people arrested earned at least 69 million euros in cryptocurrencies, using one or other of these servers, rented to the criminal networks dismantled in recent days. His transactions are now monitored and his assets, including those of possible future financial movements, will be seized by the courts.
Four people have already been arrested: three in Ukraine and one in Armenia. Eight suspects are wanted and around fifteen places were searched. But this exceptional dragnet is not the end of Operation Endgame. A website in his name was opened with a call for witnesses and a link to contact investigators. The site, on a black background with a small video animation, warns users of malicious servers: “No one is untraceable, even online”.