Recently, law enforcement agencies in the United States, Canada, and some European countries have joined forces to combat the world’s most dangerous malware and the hackers behind them. This collective effort marks the largest operation since the crackdown on zombie networks in May 2024.
On Friday, the European Judicial Cooperation Agency (Eurojust) announced in a statement that from May 19 to 22, law enforcement agencies in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada conducted a joint operation codenamed “Operation Endgame 2.0.”
Due to the global nature of cybercrime, international investigations are crucial in combating destructive cybercrime activities. The joint law enforcement team targeted multiple malware families, identified some of the masterminds behind them, disabled over 300 servers worldwide, blocked 650 domains, confirmed over thirty suspects, issued international arrest warrants for 20 suspects, and seized €3.5 million in encrypted currencies.
The malicious software eradicated this week is known as “initial access malware.” It is used for the initial infection, allowing cybercriminals to enter victims’ systems without their knowledge and load more malware onto their devices, such as ransomware.
Eurojust stated in the declaration that “Operation Endgame” will continue, and further actions will be announced on the official website of this international alliance. Since its initiation in 2024, this international operation has confiscated €21.2 million.
The first season of the international joint law enforcement operation under the codename “Operation Endgame” was executed in May last year, where various institutions and judicial authorities dismantled the primary infrastructure used to propagate malicious software. Eurojust stated that it was the largest operation to date against zombie networks, which play a crucial role in deploying ransomware.
Currently, key suspects involved in malware operations have become targets of international and public pursuit. German authorities listed 18 individuals on the EU wanted list on May 23rd.