Key Points
- A 38-year-old man was arrested in Greece as part of a major international cybercrime operation.
- The Europol-led “Operation Endgame” dismantled malware infrastructure that had infected hundreds of thousands of computers.
- The man is suspected of creating and selling the VenomRAT malware. The malware was used to steal information.
- The operation resulted in the takedown of over 1,000 servers and the seizure of 20 domains.
Greek authorities have arrested a 38-year-old man as part of a Europol-led crackdown on international cybercrime. The operation, known as “Operation Endgame,” dismantled the malware infrastructure that had infected hundreds of thousands of computers worldwide.
Europol, the European Union’s law enforcement agency, announced on Thursday that the latest phase of the operation targeted several types of malware across 10 countries, including the United States. This included the infostealer Rhadamanthys, the Remote Access Trojan VenomRAT, and the botnet Elysium.
The malware network taken down this week consisted of hundreds of thousands of infected computers, which contained millions of stolen credentials. Europol said that many of the victims were not even aware that their systems had been compromised. In total, 1,025 servers were taken down or disrupted worldwide, and 20 domains were seized.
The man arrested, an Albanian national who was detained in Athens on November 3, is believed to be the creator and seller of VenomRAT since 2020, according to Greek police. He was arrested on a European warrant issued by France. “The main suspect behind the infostealer had access to over 100,000 crypto wallets belonging to these victims, potentially worth millions of euros,” Europol said.
Greek police explained that the malware was designed to steal information by recording keystrokes, remotely using web cameras, and hacking cryptocurrency wallets. The price to use the malware ranged from 150 euros a month to 1,550 euros a year.
A search of the man’s residence uncovered malware source code, evidence of a website promoting the malware, suspicious emails, and cryptocurrency accounts. Police confiscated seven hard drives, three USB sticks, and a digital wallet with cryptocurrencies worth over $140,000, among other items.
