Subj : Operation Endgame follow-
To : All
From : Mike Powell
Date : Fri Apr 11 2025 10:10 am
Operation Endgame follow-up leads to detentions across Smoakloader ecosystem
Date:
Thu, 10 Apr 2025 15:30:00 +0000
Description:
Smokeloader customers were arrested, and their homes searched in a follow-up
to the 2024 Operation Endgame.
FULL STORY
In a follow-up to its May 2024 botnet takedown operation codenamed Operation
Endgame, Europol said it made multiple arrests.
Last year, the European law enforcement agency, together with a number of
national partners, shut down some of the biggest malware droppers, including
IcedID, SystemBC, Pikabot, Smokeloader, and Bumblebee. The operation spanned
numerous countries and multiple continents.
Now, in a press release published on the Europol website, it was said that
the operation continued, but this time against customers of Smokeloader.
New actions
Smokeloader is a pay-per-install malware loader, in which cybercriminals pay
to use the service (which has already infected numerous devices) and drop
their own malware. Europol said criminals used Smokeloader for keylogging,
webcam access, ransomware deployment, cryptomining, and more.
Law enforcement tracked down the customers as they were registered in a
database seized during Operation Endgame, Europol explained, saying these
people now faced house searches, arrest warrants or knock and talks.
It did not discuss the number of people involved, but it did say that several
suspects cooperated with the authorities by facilitating the examination of
their digital devices. Several other suspects admitted to have resold the
Smokeloader services at a markup.
Just like in Operation Endgame, multiple law enforcement agencies were
involved in the follow-up, including the FBI, Secret Service, the DoD, DCIS,
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Czech police, Danish police, French
National Police, Germanys Federal Criminal Police Office, Prosecutor Generals
Office Frankfurt am Main Cyber Crime Center, The Netherlands National
Investigations and Special Operations, and The Netherlands Police.
The agency also said that the operation has not yet concluded and that new
actions will soon be announced on the website operation-endgame.com.
Anyone with information is invited to contact the authorities through this
website, it said. In addition, suspects involved in these and other botnets,
who have not yet been arrested, will be held directly accountable for their
actions.
======================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/operation-endgame-follow-up-leads-to-de
tentions-across-smoakloader-ecosystem
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