Operation Endgame

In a significant operation dubbed Operation Endgame, authorities arrested four individuals and dismantled or disrupted over 100 servers in what Europol describes as the “largest ever” crackdown against botnets that deploy ransomware. The operation was jointly led by France, Germany, and the Netherlands, with the aim of taking action before this summer’s Paris Olympics.

Between May 27 and 29, the operation resulted in one arrest in Armenia and three others in Ukraine. Searches were conducted in both countries, as well as in the Netherlands and Portugal. The targeted servers were spread across several countries, including Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Lithuania, Romania, Switzerland, Britain, the United States, and Ukraine.

In addition to the arrests, eight fugitive suspects associated with the case will be added to Europe’s Most Wanted list. Notably, one of the suspects reportedly earned a staggering 69 million euros (approximately $75 million) in cryptocurrency by renting out criminal infrastructure sites for disseminating ransomware.

Europol emphasized that this operation represents a significant milestone in combating botnets, which play a critical role in the proliferation of ransomware attacks.