Europol seized control of over 100 servers across nine European countries, including Romania, in the largest operation targeting bot-driven cyber-malware attacks. Romania-based Bitdefender, along with other international companies, provided support for Europol’s action.
The European Union’s law enforcement agency announced on Thursday morning that over the past two days, it conducted “Operation Endgame,” which it claims is the largest operation ever carried out against bot networks that play a major role in executing cyberattacks, including ransomware attacks.
Four individuals were arrested (in Armenia and Ukraine) and over 100 internet servers were taken down or disrupted in an internationally coordinated operation led by Germany, France, and the Netherlands, which also involved the USA, Romania, Bulgaria, the UK, and Switzerland.
Europol reports that over 2,000 domains used to rent tools for executing cyberattacks were dismantled, and one of the main suspects (arrested) earned at least 69 million euros from this illegal business (ransomware as a service).
Malware programs (or bots) allow cybercriminals to connect to a computer and potentially take control of it once they have been downloaded from the internet. Among the bot networks dismantled, Europol mentioned IcedID, Smokeloader, SystemBC, Pikabot, and Bumblebee. The EU agency also highlighted the support received from several private companies in Operation Endgame, with the Romanian company Bitdefender being at the top of the list.
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