#Law Enforcement
All CosmicBytez Labs articles tagged #Law Enforcement, across news, security advisories, how-to guides, and projects.
- News
Moscow Police Detain Suspected DataSuckers Hackers Linked to Breaches in Ukraine and Russia
Russian police detained three suspected DataSuckers hackers after breaches of Dodo Pizza, Tez Tour, and Ukraine's ATB Market.
- News
INTERPOL-Coordinated Operation Arrests 95 Suspects in International CSAM Crackdown
Operation International Effort Confluencia led to 95 arrests across 17 countries and one child's rescue in an INTERPOL-led crackdown on CSAM networks.
- News
Global Takedown Hits Network Behind 1 Billion Phishing Messages
Microsoft, Japan's NPA, and partners dismantled YAM Store, a phishing-kit marketplace tied to over 1 billion malicious messages in 150 countries.
- News
YMCO Leader Pleads Guilty to Running 15,000-Mule Laundering Network for Cybercriminals
Oleg Korniev, 42, admitted leading YMCO, a ring of 15,000+ U.S. money mules that laundered over $10 million stolen by hackers since 2007.
- News
Owner of Empire Cybercrime Market Gets 40 Years in Prison
Raheim Hamilton, co-creator of Empire Market, was sentenced to 40 years and fined $5 million for $430 million in dark web drug and fraud transactions.
- News
ThreatsDay Recap: Ransomware Affiliate Betrayal, WhatsApp RAT & More
Weekly roundup: a ransomware affiliate's betrayal, a new WhatsApp RAT, exposed attacker tools, Qilin's extradition, and more supply-chain abuse.
- News
Alleged ShinyHunters Member Reportedly Detained in Jordan, Assisting FBI
Saif al-Din Khader, allegedly a top ShinyHunters figure, was detained in Jordan and is reportedly assisting the FBI after the group's FBI data-breach claims.
- News
Dutch Police Arrest 'Reformed' Hacker in ShinyHunters Investigation
Dutch police arrested a 24-year-old convicted hacker tied to ShinyHunters, and the group then breached the FBI's job site and extorted Cl0p.
- News
Police Arrest 16-Year-Old Suspected of Running KillSec, Seize Ransomware Leak Site and Servers
Spanish police arrested a 16-year-old Romanian national as KillSec's alleged lead operator; Operation KillSwitch seized 5 servers and 110TB of stolen data.
- News
ShinyHunters Suspect 'Rey' Reportedly Detained in Jordan, Helping FBI Identify Group Members
Suspected ShinyHunters member Saif al-Din Khader ('Rey') was detained in Jordan and is reportedly helping the FBI identify other group members, sources say.
- News
Alleged KillSec Ransomware Mastermind a 16-Year-Old
Ten-nation Operation KillSwitch dismantled the KillSec RaaS gang, arresting a 16-year-old alleged administrator and seizing 110TB of stolen data.
- News
ShinyHunters Hacker Reportedly Detained in Jordan, Aiding FBI
ShinyHunters member "Rey" was reportedly detained in Jordan on Oct. 1 and is cooperating with the FBI to identify other members of the group.
- News
Iranian Accused of Hacking American Universities Extradited From Montenegro
Amir Barati, accused in a $3.4B IRGC-linked hacking campaign against 144 U.S. universities, was extradited from Montenegro to face charges in New York.
- News
Police Dismantle KillSec Ransomware Gang Allegedly Led by 16-Year-Old
Police seized KillSec's ransomware leak site and arrested three suspects, including an alleged 16-year-old leader, recovering 110TB of stolen data.
- News
Alleged ShinyHunters Leader Arrested in the Netherlands
Dutch police arrested a 24-year-old Amsterdam man tied to ShinyHunters on Sept. 15 — a week before the group claimed to hack the FBI.
- News
ShinyHunters Trades Financial Extortion for a Reckless War of Ego With the FBI
ShinyHunters skips its usual ransom demand, instead threatening the FBI to retract a report — alarming experts who warn agent and family safety is at risk.
- News
U.S. Soldier Gets 70 Months in Prison for AT&T, Verizon Extortions
A U.S. Army soldier was sentenced to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $294,978 restitution for hacking telecoms and stealing 100M+ AT&T records.
- News
Cyberattack Hits Welsh Police Force, May Have Affected Staff Data
Dyfed-Powys Police says a cyberattack disrupted non-emergency systems and may have compromised staff data; no evidence public data was accessed.
- News
U.S. Army Soldier Sentenced to 70 Months for AT&T, Verizon Extortion Scheme
Cameron Wagenius, 22, was sentenced to 70 months and ordered to pay $294,978 after hacking AT&T, Verizon, and Snowflake customers via stolen credentials.
- News
Ryuk Ransomware Operator Sentenced to 2 Years, Ordered to Pay $1.2 Million in Restitution
Armenian national Karen Vardanyan was sentenced to two years in federal prison and ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution for Ryuk ransomware attacks.
- News
Latvia Arrests Suspected Hacker for Electronics Repair Company Breach
Latvia's State Police arrested a 23-year-old suspected of hacking TSC and another firm, stealing personal data and attempting extortion.
- News
Two Arrested in UK After Microsoft Takedown of 'EvilTokens' AI Chatbot
Microsoft's DCU and UK police dismantled EvilTokens, an AI chatbot that automated account takeover and fraud for a $1,500 fee on Telegram.
- News
Early Scattered Spider Member Pleads Guilty to Cybercrime Spree
Ahmed Elbadawy pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and identity theft tied to Scattered Spider; prosecutors now seek $17.6M in forfeiture.
- News
House Passes GUARD Act to Arm Local Police Against Scams
The House passed the bipartisan GUARD Act 414-7, giving local police grant-funded tools to fight pig-butchering and elder fraud.
- News
Ukrainian Hacker Gets Four Years in US Prison Over Conti Ransomware Attacks
Oleksii Lytvynenko was sentenced to four years for his role as a hacker and developer in the Conti ransomware operation, which extorted over $150 million.
- News
Sality Botnet Infrastructure Dismantled in Joint Global Takedown
Law enforcement and CrowdStrike sinkholed the 20+ year-old Sality P2P botnet, cutting off operator SALTY SPIDER's control channels.
- News
68-Year-Old Imprisoned After Making $1.3 Million by Pirating IPTV Services
A Chorley man, 68, was jailed 6.5 years for running an illegal IPTV service that made £980,812 pirating BBC, Sky and Premier League content.
- News
Interpol's Jackal IV Disrupts West African Crime Infrastructure
A 22-country INTERPOL operation targeting Black Axe and allied networks led to 58 arrests, 263 identified suspects, and seized criminal assets.
- News
Indian Man Who Fled US Arrested for Helping Scammers Siphon $7.5M from the Elderly
A Jersey City resident faces charges for acting as a money mule for overseas cyber scammers who stole $7.5 million from elderly New Yorkers.
- News
Police Arrest 58 Suspects in Global Cybercrime Crackdown
Law enforcement from 22 countries identified 263 suspects and arrested 58 individuals linked to cybercrime networks coordinated by African criminal groups.
- News
Ukraine Shuts Down 94 Fraudulent Call Centers, Seizes Millions in Cash
Ukrainian authorities dismantled 94 fraud call centers running investment scams and bank credential theft operations across multiple cities.
- News
Ukraine Dismantles 94 Fraudulent Call Centers, Seizes $2M and a Kilogram of Gold
Ukraine's National Police and SBU shut down 94 investment fraud call centers across 9 regions, seizing $2M, luxury cars, and 5,200+ SIM cards.
- News
Ransom Cartel Ransomware Creator Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison
Belarusian cybercriminal Maksim Silnikau, the mastermind behind Ransom Cartel ransomware-as-a-service, was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for...
- News
The Coordination Gap: How Attackers Are Outpacing Law Enforcement
Threat actors have evolved their strategies faster than law enforcement can coordinate across jurisdictions and agencies, creating a widening gap that...
- News
PNLD Breach Exposes U.K. Police and Government Contact Details on Dark Web
The Police National Legal Database has confirmed that contact information for over 114,000 police officers and government staff was stolen and published...
- News
Interpol Leverages Global System to Curtail Fraud Payments
Interpol is deploying a global payment interception system to halt fraudulent transactions before cybercriminals can cash out. The initiative coordinates...
- News
FBI: Breaking Affiliate Trust Was Key to LockBit's Takedown
An FBI agent reveals how Operation Cronos dismantled the world's largest ransomware group by exploiting fractures in LockBit's affiliate trust model —...
- News
Dutch Police Bust Investment Fraud Ring Stealing Over €100 Million
Dutch Police have announced the arrest of multiple suspects believed to be part of an international investment fraud ring that stole over €100 million...
- News
Spanish Police Take Down €140 Million Cyber Fraud Ring, Arrest Four
Spanish National Police, coordinating with Europol, Interpol, Portugal, and Panama, have dismantled a sophisticated cybercriminal organization responsible...
- News
UK Charges Five Suspects Linked to Russian Coms Call Spoofing Platform
The UK National Crime Agency has charged five suspects following an investigation into Russian Coms, a major criminal caller ID spoofing platform...
- News
Dutch Police Trace Odido Telecom Breach to Suspected Local Accomplice
Dutch police have identified evidence implicating a local Dutch suspect as an accomplice in the cyberattack on telecom provider Odido, which exposed the...
- News
Ransomware Negotiator Gets 70 Months in Prison for Aiding BlackCat Attacks
A 41-year-old former cybersecurity professional has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for conspiring with the now-defunct BlackCat ransomware...
- News
Ryuk Operator Pleads Guilty; BlackCat/AlphV Conspirator Gets Nearly 6-Year Sentence
A Ryuk ransomware operator pleaded guilty in Oregon federal court while a BlackCat/AlphV conspirator received a 70-month prison sentence in Florida,...
- News
Third US Security Expert Sentenced to Prison for Helping Ransomware Gang
Angelo Martino, a former ransomware negotiator turned insider threat, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for actively assisting the...
- News
Armenian National Pleads Guilty to Ryuk Ransomware Attacks
Karen Vardanyan, an Armenian national, has pleaded guilty to federal charges related to Ryuk ransomware attacks and faces up to 15 years in prison with...
- News
Money Launderer Accused of Stealing $290K in Seized Crypto While Serving Prison Sentence
A Bulgarian national already serving over 10 years for laundering millions stolen from American fraud victims now faces new charges after allegedly...
- News
INTERPOL Arrests 5,800 Suspects in Operation First Light 2026 Global Fraud Bust
A 3.5-month INTERPOL-led operation spanning 97 countries resulted in 5,811 arrests, $293 million seized, and 142,000 victims identified — targeting...
- News
Police Arrest 5,800 Suspects and Seize $293M in Global Anti-Fraud Crackdown
A sweeping international law enforcement operation spanning 97 countries resulted in the arrest of 5,811 suspects and the seizure of $293 million in...
- News
Alleged Scattered Spider Hacker Peter Stokes Extradited to the United States
Peter Stokes, 19, a dual US-Estonian citizen known online as 'Bouquet,' has been extradited from Finland to face federal charges for his alleged role in...
- Newsletter
June 30 Digest: BlueHammer Zero-Day, Ransomware Goes Corporate, AI Supply Chain Risks & Nation-State ICS Threats
A Microsoft Defender zero-day fuels ransomware before any patch exists; researchers dissect how syndicate groups run HR departments and tiered pricing;...
- News
In a First, a Court Takedown Goes After Two Cybercrime Tools at Once
Microsoft and Europol dismantled both StealC and Amadey simultaneously in a single RICO filing — the first time a court-authorized takedown has targeted...
- News
Local Police Collusion Hampers Crackdown on Asian Scam Centers
With tens of billions of dollars flowing into regional economies from cybercrime, scam centers across Southeast Asia continue to flourish despite...
- News
Poland Busts SIM-Swapping Gang Tied to Millions in Crypto Theft
Polish authorities, working alongside the FBI and HSI, have arrested four members of a cybercrime gang that used SIM-swapping attacks to hijack...
- News
Amadey and StealC Malware Networks Disrupted, 27 Million Stolen Credentials Recovered
A coordinated law enforcement operation backed by Bitdefender, Bitsight, ESET, and Microsoft has dismantled the infrastructure powering Amadey and StealC,...
- News
Amadey and StealC Malware Operations Disrupted in Operation Endgame Action
Microsoft, Europol, and international law enforcement partners have dismantled infrastructure supporting the Amadey malware loader and StealC infostealer...
- News
Microsoft and Europol Dismantle Three Cybercrime-as-a-Service Operations
Microsoft and Europol jointly targeted the full CaaS supply chain, seizing 300+ servers and disrupting SocGholish, Amadey, and StealC malware infrastructure.
- News
NY Man Charged After Harassing College Student with AI-Generated Nude Images
A 21-year-old New York man faces federal cyberstalking charges after allegedly using AI to generate nude images of a Georgia college student and...
- News
15,000 WordPress Websites Cleaned Up in SocGholish Botnet Takedown
In a major Operation Endgame action, law enforcement and private partners seized 106 SocGholish command-and-control servers and domains, with...
- News
Operation Endgame Disrupts SocGholish Servers, Cleans 14,971 WordPress Sites
A joint law enforcement operation led by Dutch authorities and including partners from Canada, Germany, and the US has disrupted SocGholish malware...
- News
Police Cleans Nearly 15,000 SocGholish-Infected Sites Tied to Evil Corp
International law enforcement cleaned nearly 15,000 malware-infected WordPress websites and took down more than 100 servers linked to the SocGholish...
- News
FBI and Google Dismantle 'Outsider Enterprise' Phishing Service
A joint FBI and Google operation took down the Outsider Enterprise phishing platform — responsible for over 9,000 fake sites, nearly 4 million stolen...
- News
FBI and Google Dismantle 'Outsider Enterprise' Phishing-as-a-Service Platform
A joint FBI and Google operation has dismantled the 'Outsider Enterprise' phishing-as-a-service platform responsible for over 9,000 phishing sites, nearly...
- News
In Other News: Google Security Layoffs, AudiA6 Takedown, $400M Coupang Fine
This week's security roundup covers Google's controversial security team layoffs, Europol's dismantling of the AudiA6 ransomware crypto laundering...
- News
Europol Disrupts AudiA6 Crypto Laundering Service Used by Ransomware Gangs
Europol has dismantled AudiA6, a cryptocurrency laundering service described as a key financial pipeline for ransomware gangs and cybercriminal networks...
- News
Ukrainian National Pleads Guilty to Role in Conti Ransomware Operation
A Ukrainian national extradited from Ireland to the United States has pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges tied to the Conti ransomware operation, which...
- News
Authorities Dismantle 'AudiA6' Ransomware Crypto-Laundering Service
Law enforcement has dismantled the AudiA6 cryptocurrency laundering service used by ransomware actors and cybercriminals to clean more than $380 million...
- News
Dark Web Nemesis Market Vendor Gets 26 Years for Selling Drugs
A California man was sentenced to over 26 years in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl and meth through Nemesis Market, a major dark web drug marketplace.
- News
DoJ Disrupts Southeast Asia Crypto Fraud Networks, Freezes $3.8 Million in Assets
The U.S. Department of Justice's 'Disruption Week' operation has dismantled Southeast Asia-linked crypto fraud networks, freezing $3.8 million in assets and…
- News
Over 1.4 Million Accounts Disrupted in Cybercrime Crackdown
Law enforcement agencies and major technology companies have jointly dismantled infrastructure tied to Southeast Asia-based scammers, disrupting more than 1.4…
- News
Police Dismantles 9 Crime Groups in Illegal Streaming Crackdown
A coordinated international law enforcement operation has dismantled nine organized crime groups and arrested 29 suspects in a major crackdown targeting…
- News
Dutch Police Dismantle Massive 17-Million-Device Botnet
Dutch authorities seized command-and-control servers tied to a botnet of 17 million infected computers, smartphones, and tablets that was allegedly used to…
- News
Dutch Govt Disrupts Malware Botnet with 17 Million Infected Devices
Dutch authorities took offline a massive botnet of 17 million infected devices and seized more than 200 servers from a local hosting provider that...
- News
Man Sent to Prison for Selling Data of 7 Million Elderly Americans
A North Carolina man was sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for selling the personal information of over 7 million elderly Americans to...
- News
US Charges Google Security Engineer with Polymarket Insider Trading
A Google security engineer was charged with insider trading after winning $1.2 million by placing bets on cryptocurrency-based Polymarket using...
- News
Canadian Man Gets 33 Years for Using Social Media to Coerce US Children
A Canadian man received a 33-year US federal sentence after using fake online identities on social media to manipulate children into sending sexually...
- News
Dutch Raid Fails to Dent Russian Bulletproof Host THE.Hosting
Dutch law enforcement seized 800 servers and arrested two operators of THE.Hosting but left the provider's core IP address space intact — and the...
- News
Former US Execs Plead Guilty to Aiding Tech Support Scammers
Two former executives of a call-tracking and analytics company have pleaded guilty to concealing a years-long tech support fraud scheme that victimized...
- News
Italy Disrupts CINEMAGOAL Piracy App That Stole Streaming
Italian authorities have dismantled the CINEMAGOAL piracy ecosystem after the app was found to have been stealing authentication codes from streaming...
- News
Netherlands Seizes 800 Servers of Hosting Firm Enabling
Dutch financial crime investigators (FIOD) arrested two men and seized 800 servers from a hosting company that provided bulletproof infrastructure...
- News
''First VPN'' Cybercrime Service Disrupted, Administrator
The FBI and international partners have disrupted First VPN, a criminal VPN service used by dozens of ransomware groups for network reconnaissance and...
- News
Alleged Kimwolf Botmaster ''Dort'' Arrested, Charged in U.S. and Canada
Canadian authorities arrested a 23-year-old Ottawa man suspected of building and operating Kimwolf, an IoT botnet that enslaved millions of devices for...
- News
Canadian Man Arrested and Charged for Running KimWolf DDoS
Jacob Butler, a Canadian national, has been arrested and charged in the United States and Canada for running the KimWolf DDoS-for-hire botnet, which...
- News
First VPN Dismantled in Global Takedown Over Use by 25
International authorities have disrupted a criminal VPN service called First VPN that was used by more than 25 ransomware groups to conceal network...
- News
US and Canada Arrest and Charge Suspected Kimwolf Botnet
U.S. and Canadian authorities arrested and charged a Canadian man with operating the Kimwolf DDoS botnet, which infected nearly two million devices...
- News
Europe Dismantles VPN Service Used by Cybercriminals to Hide Ransomware Attacks
European law enforcement has taken down First VPN, a privacy service that had been openly advertised on Russian-language cybercrime forums as a tool for...
- News
Police Seize 'First VPN' Service Used in Ransomware and Data Theft Attacks
International law enforcement has dismantled 'First VPN,' a criminal VPN service marketed on Russian-speaking cybercrime forums and used to facilitate...
- News
Ukraine Identifies Infostealer Operator Tied to 28,000
Ukrainian cyberpolice, working with US law enforcement, identified an 18-year-old from Odesa suspected of running an infostealer malware operation that...
- News
Police Shut Down Reboot of Crimenetwork Marketplace, Arrest
German authorities have seized a relaunched version of the notorious Crimenetwork criminal marketplace that generated over 3.6 million euros, arresting...
- News
In Other News: Scattered Spider Member Arrested, SOC
A Scattered Spider threat actor has been arrested, a vulnerability in an NSA tool is disclosed, SOC effectiveness metrics get a rethink, and OFAC...
- News
Cyber Incident Responders Sentenced to 4 Years for Carrying
Two cybersecurity incident responders who abused their trusted positions to secretly carry out ransomware attacks against the organizations they were...
- News
European Police Dismantles €50 Million Crypto Investment
Austrian and Albanian law enforcement jointly dismantled a large-scale cryptocurrency investment fraud operation estimated to have caused over €50 million...
- News
Swiss Police Arrest 10 Suspected Members of Nigeria-Linked
Swiss and German law enforcement arrested 10 suspected members of the Nigerian criminal network Black Axe, including a regional leader believed to oversee...
- News
US & China Partner on Scam Center Takedown in Dubai
In a rare show of bilateral cooperation, the US Justice Department and Chinese authorities jointly dismantled a major cryptocurrency investment fraud scam...
- News
Money Launderer for Crypto Thieves Given 5-Year Prison
A California man has been sentenced to more than five years in federal prison for his role in laundering proceeds for a cybercriminal organization that...
- News
Money Launderer Linked to $230M Crypto Heist Gets 70 Months
Evan Tangeman, 22, of Newport Beach, California, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for laundering funds stolen in a $230 million cryptocurrency...
- News
Spain Dismantles Major $4.7M Manga Piracy Platform, Arrests
Spanish police have shut down the largest Spanish-language manga piracy platform, which had operated since 2014 and served millions of monthly users...
- News
In Other News: Satellite Cybersecurity Act, $90K Chrome
This week's cybersecurity roundup covers the proposed Satellite Cybersecurity Act, a $90,000 Chrome heap overflow bug, a 16-year-old hacker arrest,...
- News
Operation PowerOFF Seizes 53 DDoS Domains, Exposes 3
An international law enforcement operation has dismantled 53 DDoS-for-hire domains, arrested four individuals, and exposed over 3 million criminal...
- News
Citizen Lab: Law Enforcement Used Webloc to Track 500
Citizen Lab has documented how an Israeli surveillance company called Cobwebs Technologies built an advertising-based global geolocation platform named...
- News
Over 20,000 Crypto Fraud Victims Identified in International Crackdown
An NCA-led international law enforcement operation has identified more than 20,000 cryptocurrency fraud victims across the UK, US, and Canada, marking one...
- News
Breach Exposes Sensitive LAPD Files Stored in City Attorney
A data breach of the Los Angeles city attorney's office systems has exposed sensitive LAPD law enforcement files, with social media posts advertising 7.7...
- News
BKA Identifies REvil Leaders Behind 130 German Ransomware
Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office has publicly unmasked the real identity of "UNKN," the primary operator behind the now-defunct REvil and GandCrab...
- News
German Authorities Identify REvil and GandCrab Ransomware
Germany's Federal Police have publicly named two Russian nationals as the leaders of the GandCrab and REvil ransomware operations, linking them to at...
- News
Russia Detains Alleged Admin of LeakBase Cybercrime Forum
Russian authorities have detained a suspected administrator of LeakBase, a major stolen-data marketplace with over 147,000 subscribers, just weeks after...
- Newsletter
Mar 26 Digest: LeakBase Admin Arrested, WebRTC Skimmer
This week: Russian authorities detain the alleged LeakBase admin weeks after the FBI-led global crackdown on the 147,000-subscriber stolen-data...
- News
LeakBase Admin Arrested in Russia Over Massive Stolen
Russian law enforcement has arrested the alleged administrator of LeakBase — a credential marketplace operating since 2021 with 142,000 members and...
- News
US Sentences Nigerian National to 7 Years in $6 Million
James Junior Aliyu, 31, received a 90-month federal prison sentence for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering after orchestrating a $6...
- News
DoJ Disrupts 3 Million-Device IoT Botnets Behind Record
The U.S. Department of Justice, in coordination with Germany and Canada, has dismantled the C2 infrastructure of four major IoT botnets — AISURU, Kimwolf,...
- News
Operation Synergia III: Police Sinkhole 45,000 IPs in Global Cybercrime Crackdown
An international law enforcement operation codenamed Operation Synergia III has sinkholed 45,000 IP addresses and seized servers linked to ransomware,...
- News
Spanish-Ukrainian Police Bust Gambling Ring That Exploited
Spanish and Ukrainian law enforcement dismantled a criminal organization that recruited war-displaced Ukrainian women to open bank accounts used to...
- News
Phobos Ransomware Admin Pleads Guilty — 1,000+ Victims
Evgenii Ptitsyn, 43, a Russian national who administered the Phobos ransomware-as-a-service operation, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy in the U.S....
- News
Europol-Coordinated Action Dismantles Tycoon2FA — 330
An international coalition led by Europol and Microsoft has taken down Tycoon2FA, a phishing-as-a-service platform responsible for 87.5 million phishing...
- News
Former Cybersecurity Responders Plead Guilty to BlackCat Attacks
An incident response manager and a ransomware negotiator face up to 20 years after admitting to conducting BlackCat (ALPHV) ransomware attacks against...