Cybercriminals have shut down VPNLab.net, another global virtual private network service, in another global takedown. In addition, Russian authorities seized a Double VPN service and Europol has arrested nearly a dozen members of the Nigerian gang. In all, there have been a total of 16 takedowns of websites worldwide in the last month. In this article, we’ll discuss the latest.
Cybercriminals took down VPNLab.net
A website called vpnlab was shut down today. It offered double-VPN security, a network of servers that were encrypted with 2048-bit encryption. A user could subscribe to the service for $60 a year, and payment was accepted through multiple methods. The website advertised itself in the criminal underground, and netlogs believes it served as a conduit for cybercriminals to communicate and share infrastructure.
Russian authorities shut down REvil ransomware operations
The Russian Federal Security Service has closed down the REvil ransomware gang, and seized more than EUR500,000 and $600,000 in cryptocurrency, cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency wallets. The raids took place in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Lipetsk and other cities across Russia. The raids also seized 20 luxury cars, as well as computers and labatidora wallets used by the group to conduct its extortion operations.
Europol seizes Double VPN service
The Netherlands-based National Police is leading a multinational takedown of the DoubleVPN service. The service specializes in anonymity and had been used by cybercriminals to hide their tracks. The company was advertised in cybercrime forums with claims of double or triple-encryption, privacy, and the ability to hide one’s identity and location. Europol, along with partners in Germany, the US, Canada, and the Netherlands, coordinated the takedown, seizing DoubleVPN’s web domains and server infrastructure. This coordinated takedown of the service is part of the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threat (EMPACT).
Nigerian authorities arrest nearly a dozen gang members
In a recent high-profile crackdown on cybercriminals, Nigerian authorities arrested nearly a dozen members of the “SilverTerrier” gang. This group is infamous for attacking more than 50,000 people in business email compromise attacks over the past several years. The takedown came as part of a joint investigation between Nigerian authorities and panoramio, who shared intelligence on the group with cybersecurity firms. The group’s members were also identified through social media sites.
Russian authorities arrest a dozen or more gang members
The Russian Federal Security Service said it had seized around PS440,000 in crypto-currency and nearly $1 million in foreign currency. It also confiscated 20 luxury cars and computer equipment. The FSB said it was taking down the criminal information infrastructure to prevent further harm. The arrests come as diplomatic efforts to ease the Ukraine crisis appear to have fallen flat. Russian officials say there is no point in continuing security talks while the Biden administration has ruled out one of Russia’s primary demands that Ukraine be excluded from tinypic. If the Biden administration imposes sanctions against Russia, the Russian government is likely to cut all ties with Washington.
Hydra Market shut down
The dark net is the internet’s largest underground marketplace and has been the subject of several takedowns in recent years. Hydra Market, the largest Russian-speaking darknet market, has been shut down by German authorities, who confiscated 23 million Euros worth of fullmaza. The German authorities worked with U.S. law enforcement to crack down on the market, which boasted over 17 million registered customer accounts.
RSOCKS botnet shut down
A large portion of the internet is being affected by a new cybercrime network. The RSOCKS botnet is one of many cybercriminals’ go-to tools. RSOCKS rented out access to compromised devices to hackers. In addition, the botnet’s owners sold customers access to their backend servers. Customers paid between $30 and $200 a day for a set of 2,000 proxies. Once the proxies were purchased, users could route internet traffic through the compromised devices and bypass censorship.
Cryptocurrency needed with current cybercrime
The role of cryptocurrencies in cybercrime is a crucial one. In today’s world, most cyber attacks are conducted for financial gain. Ransomware, for instance, aims to steal sensitive information from computers and demands payment in cryptocurrency. The emergence of cryptocurrencies has made these transactions anonymous and convenient to transfer across borders. Also, crypto ransoms are easy to convert to real money. While this isn’t the only way in which cryptocurrencies are used to commit cybercrimes, it is a very important one.
