The Hague, the Netherlands - 13 February 2013
Police dismantle prolific ransomware cybercriminal networkSpanish Police, working closely with the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol, have dismantled the largest and most complex cybercrime network dedicated to spreading police ransomware. It is estimated that the criminals affected tens of thousands of computers worldwide, bringing in profits in excess of one million euros per year.
Operation Ransom resulted in 11 arrests – the first was a 27-year-old Russian, responsible for the creation, development and international distribution of the various versions of the malware. He was arrested in the United Arab Emirates and is currently awaiting extradition to Spain. Furthermore, one of the criminal network’s largest financial cells in the Costa del Sol was dismantled. Spanish Police also arrested another 10 individuals linked to the financial cell: six Russians, two Ukrainians and two Georgians.
https://www.europol.europa.eu/content/police-dismantle-prolific-ransomware-cybercriminal-network
