In September, Europol and Eurojust, together with law enforcement and judicial authorities around the world, successfully dismantled an encrypted communications platform created to facilitate serious and organized crimes perpetrated by dangerous criminal networks operating on a global scale. The platform, known as Ghost, was used as a tool to carry out a wide range of criminal activities, including large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, incidents of extreme violence and other forms of serious and organized crime.
In August, authorities in the United States and Germany eliminated the globally active Radar/Dispossessor ransomware crime group that has targeted at least dozens of companies in industries such as healthcare and transportation. The group, founded in August 2023 and led by the online nickname “Brain,” has targeted small and medium-sized companies, initially focusing on the United States before expanding globally.
Also very important was the closure of Lockbit in February, closed by an international law enforcement task force made up of agencies from 10 countries (including Australia and Japan).
Operation Cronos, conducted by authorities in the United Kingdom and the United States, seized darknet sites operated by LockBit, the infamous and prolific ransomware group that has claimed more than 22,000 victims worldwide and extorted more than 120 millions of dollars in ransom payments.
In May, Europol targeted malware dropper groups such as IcedID, SystemBC, Pikabot, Smokeloader, Bumblebee and Trickbot. Dropper malware facilitates the installation of other malware, such as ransomware, on the computers it infects.
