European Union And US Authorities Dismantle Global Malware Network

JAKARTA Authorities from Europe, the United States, and Canada managed to dismantle the global malware network by closing more than 300 servers and issuing an international arrest warrant against 20 suspects. This action is the latest part of an international operation called Operation Endgame, according to a statement from Eurojust, a European Union criminal justice cooperation agency.

In this major operation involving authorities from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Britain, the United States, and Canada, more than three dozen suspects have been identified and 20 of them have been criminally charged. In addition to closing more than 300 servers worldwide, the operation also disabled 650 domains and confiscated a cryptocurrency worth 3.5 million euros (IDR 64.6 billion).

The action is a continuation of efforts carried out in May 2024, which at that time was said to be the largest operation against the botnet network. Overall, the total money that has been confiscated since this operation began in 2024 reached 21.2 million euros.

The targeted malware this time is known as an "initial access malware" type malware used for initial infection, allowing cybercriminals to secretly infiltrate the victim's system and then download additional malware such as ransomware.

Endgame's operations will continue with a follow-up to be announced on the official website of the international coalition. Some of the main suspects behind the malware operation are still at large and subject to international search. German authorities are rumored to include 18 of them on the list of the most wanted fugitives in the European Union on Friday in