European, American and Canadian law enforcement agencies have dismantled a major cybercrime infrastructure, taking down over 300 servers and issuing international arrest warrants for 20 suspects, according to a statement by Eurojust, the European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation.
The operation, part of an ongoing effort known as Operation Endgame, marks a significant escalation in the fight against cybercriminals deploying “initial access malware” – malicious software that enables intrusions into victims’ systems, often preceding ransomware attacks.
Authorities from Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada collaborated from 19 to 22 May in what officials describe as a coordinated strike on the most dangerous variants of malware, including Bumblebee, Qakbot, DanaBot, Trickbot and WarmCookie.
A total of 37 suspects have been identified. Of those, 20 individuals have been criminally charged and are now the subjects of international arrest warrants. The German authorities are expected to list 18 of these individuals on the EU’s Most Wanted list on 23 May.
In addition to taking down the servers, law enforcement agencies neutralised 650 domains and seized €3.5 million in cryptocurrency. This brings the total amount of digital currency confiscated since the inception of Operation Endgame in 2024 to €21.2 million.
“This year’s actions are a direct continuation of the efforts started in 2024, which constituted the largest-ever operation against botnets,” Eurojust stated. “Targeting these malware variants at the start of the attack chain significantly undermines the ‘cybercrime as a service’ model.”
The international coalition has pledged to continue its efforts, with further actions to be announced on a dedicated operation website. The suspects are also subject to public appeals in an effort to expedite their apprehension.
The participating agencies included the German Federal Criminal Police Office, France’s National Office against Cybercriminality, the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
