Fighting Cyber​​crime: There's Good News, Too | Antivirus Software

Almost every day there are new, sometimes spectacular, reports of successful cyber attacks against companies and public organizations. This gives the impression that our society is helpless in the face of this phenomenon. In fact, there is also the other side. Not least because of the cyber threat, law enforcement authorities have learned to react in a very short time. Their success stories are often no less spectacular. But you have to look for it sooner - but there are.

 

Operation Nova

On December 22, 2020, Europol reported the shutdown of the Safe-Inet VPN service and the seizure of IT infrastructure in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the USA. Safe-Inet was used by cybercriminals to carry out phishing or blackmail attempts with ransomware and to collect payment information via web skimming. In the criminal underworld, the VPN offer was considered one of the best tools available. Hence it had been marketed at a high price. Europol calls it "Cybercriminals' favorite VPN". In addition to Europol, the FBI, the Swiss FedPol, and the Aargau cantonal police were involved in the globally coordinated action under the name "Operation Nova". The shutdown was coordinated by the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats (Impact). The data and accounts of users that have been secured are now evaluated. Last but not least, this campaign enabled 250 companies worldwide to be warned in good time of an impending ransomware attack.

Turning the Table on Cybercriminals?

At least that is Europol's headline in its press release. Indeed, Operation Nova was by no means the only successful campaign against organized cybercrime. As early as the beginning of December, more than 4,000 money mules were identified in a globally coordinated action and over 400 arrests were made in this context. Money mules are platforms that allow the perpetrators to control the payment flows e.g. B. to disguise in ransomware attacks. They are one of the most important elements in this type of attack. 

Damage of Eur 40 Million Prevented

At the end of November, large-scale fraud involving stolen credit card information was also prevented. The information was intended for sale on the dark web. The successful intervention of Europol and several national law enforcement authorities successfully averted EUR 40 million in damage to consumers and financial organizations. The operation, called “Carding Action 2020”, ran over a period of three months. A total of 90,000 credit card information was analyzed. One of the reasons the operation was so successful was that Europol worked closely with various police authorities and with partners from the private sector.

Cyber ​​gang Arrested in Nigeria

Thanks to the partnership between Interpol and various organizations, a cyber gang was also set in Nigeria in November 2020. The group is credited with spreading malware, conducting phishing attacks, and executing Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams. All types of a fraud cause high damage. To date, around 50,000 victims of the gang have been identified. 

Cybercrime Is Bigger than Drug Trafficking

With an estimated annual volume of USD 1.5 trillion worldwide, cybercrime has quickly become the focus of organized crime. It even outperforms the global drug trade. The global potential and the relatively low risk are the main factors that make cybercrime so attractive. The authorities have massively increased their resources in recent years and have learned to cooperate effectively and efficiently with private companies. Great progress can still be expected here. Because with combined strength, these global online threats can be better combated. One thing is clear: the risk for the perpetrators will increase. 

Top in The Field of Security

However, that alone will not be enough. The prey is too tempting. If, however, companies and institutions do their homework at the same time and this increases the general level of difficulty of an attack, then the moment will have come when we as a society can actually turn the table. It is not only in the interests of every company but also in the interests of society that security systems like antivirus software are state-of-the-art and state-of-the-art. This is the only way to ensure adequate protection.