Europol-coordinated global operation takes down pro-Russian cybercrime network
Codenamed Eastwood, the operation targeted the so-called NoName057(16) group, which was identified last month by Dutch authorities as being behind a series of denial-of-service attacks on several municipalities and organizations linked to a NATO summit in the Netherlands.
Europol said that the cybercrime network also was involved in attacks in Sweden, Germany and Switzerland.
The police agency said the international operation 'led to the disruption of an attack-infrastructure consisting of over one hundred computer systems worldwide, while a major part of the group's central server infrastructure was taken offline.'
Law enforcement and judicial authorities from France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and the United States took simultaneous actions against offenders and infrastructure belonging to the pro-Russian cybercrime network, it said.
Judicial authorities in Germany issued six arrest warrants for suspects in Russia, two of them accused of being the main leaders of the group, Europol said. Five of them were identified on Europol's Europe's Most Wanted website.
One suspect was placed under preliminary arrest in France and another detained in Spain, Europol said. In the United States, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was involved in the operation.
The Paris prosecutor's office said one person is in custody in France and communications equipment has been seized. No charges have yet been filed.
The attorney general's office in Switzerland, which is not an EU member country, said in a statement Wednesday that joint investigations between Europol and Swiss federal police helped identify three leading members of the group, which is alleged to have targeted more than 200 Swiss websites.
Swiss prosecutors opened a criminal case over the incidents in June 2023, and since then identified several other denial-of-service attacks attributed to the activist group. The attacks included a video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Swiss parliament and the popular Eurovision Song Contest, held in in Basel earlier this year.
Europol said members of the cybercrime group initially targeted Ukrainian institution, 'but have shifted their focus to attacking countries that support Ukraine in the ongoing defence against the Russian war of aggression, many of which are members of NATO.'
Law enforcement authorities in countries involved in the operation contacted hundreds of people believed to support the group to inform them of the crackdown and their alleged liability for its actions.
'Individuals acting for NoName057(16) are mainly Russian-speaking sympathisers who use automated tools to carry out distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Operating without formal leadership or sophisticated technical skills, they are motivated by ideology and rewards,' Europol said.
It added that people recruited by the group were paid in cryptocurrency and motivated using online-gaming dynamics like leader boards and badges.
'This gamified manipulation, often targeted at younger offenders, was emotionally reinforced by a narrative of defending Russia or avenging political events,' Europol said.
Corder writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Geir Moulson in Berlin and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
22 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
French court orders release of Lebanese militant Georges Ibrahim Abdallah
PARIS (AP) — A French court on Thursday ordered the conditional release of a Lebanese pro-Palestinian communist militant after more than 40 years in detention in France. Georges Ibrahim Abdallah was serving a life sentence for complicity in the murders of two diplomats, one American and one Israeli, in Paris in 1982. The Paris Court of Appeal ruled Abdallah can be released next Friday on the condition that he leave France and never return, judicial authorities said.
23 minutes ago
Ukraine targets Moscow as Russia reports shooting down more than 100 drones
LONDON -- Russia's Defense Ministry said its forces shot down at least 126 Ukrainian drones overnight into Thursday morning, with at least three craft intercepted over the capital Moscow region. The attack was Ukraine's largest drone barrage into Russia since it launched 167 craft into the country on July 11, according to data published by Russia's Defense Ministry and analyzed by ABC News. The latest attack saw drones downed over 11 Russian regions plus annexed Crimea, the ministry said on Thursday. Temporary flight restrictions were introduced at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport, Kaluga Grabtsevo Airport to the southwest of the capital and Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg, according to Telegram posts by Artem Korenyako, a spokesperson for Russia's federal aviation agency Rosaviatsiya. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that at least three drones were shot down on approach to the city. "Emergency services specialists are working at the site of the wreckage," he wrote. In the southwestern Voronezh region, a drone crashed into a residential building and injured three people, according to a statement published by local Gov. Alexander Gusev on Telegram. In the western Belgorod region, Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said three people were killed and 17 injured by drone attacks from Wednesday afternoon through into Thursday morning. Another person was injured by a drone in the Smolensk region, which sits to the west of Moscow and borders Belarus, Gov. Vasily Anokhin said. In the Kaluga region to Moscow's southwest, a drone hit a two-story house and a 14-year-old girl was injured by glass fragments, local Gov. Vladislav Shapsha said on Telegram. Ukraine's air force, meanwhile, said Russia launched 64 drones into the country overnight, of which 41 were shot down or neutralized in flight. The air force said 23 drones impacted in five locations. As of Thursday, the death toll from a Russian airstrike on the Donetsk city of Dobropillia rose to three, according to local Gov. Vadym Filashkin. Another 27 people were injured in the strike, Filashkin said, which targeted a shopping center in the eastern city. July has marked an uptick in drone attacks launched by both Russia and Ukraine amid stalled U.S.-led efforts to secure a ceasefire deal to end Russia's 3-year-old full-scale invasion of its neighbor. On Monday, President Donald Trump set Moscow a 50-day ultimatum to agree to a ceasefire, threatening sanctions if it failed to do so. In June, Russia's Defense Ministry reported downing a total of 2,368 Ukrainian drones, with an average of almost 79 drones per day across the month. Thus far in July, the Defense Ministry said it has downed 1,516 Ukrainian drones, with a daily average of 89 drones. The scale of Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine have been increasing since May, according to figures published by the Ukrainian air force and analyzed by ABC News. In May, Russia launched a total of 3,835 drones and 117 missiles, for an average of around 124 drones and nearly four missiles each day. June saw 5,438 drones and 239 missiles fired into Ukraine, with a daily average of 181 drones and nearly eight missiles. Already in the first half of July, Ukraine has reported facing 4,067 drones and 89 missiles, for a daily average of 239 drones and more than five missiles.
Politico
23 minutes ago
- Politico
Dispatch From a Den of Evil Globalism
ASPEN, Colorado — The national security elites gathered in this mountain retreat this week are finding themselves playing defense about their beliefs, motivations and patriotism — and whether they even deserve attention from the people in power. It's a result of the Trump administration's 11th hour decision to pull nearly all of its speakers from the annual Aspen Security Forum, with the Pentagon alleging that the gathering 'promotes the evil of globalism.' Many of the current and former officials I've spoken to here have wielded enough influence and dealt with enough criticism in their careers that at first, they responded to the administration's move with eye-rolls and words such as 'moronic.' Some questioned, in genuine frustration, what the administration means by 'globalism.' That America can ignore the world? Others suggested it is all a performative stunt by the administration, or at least Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, to gain favor with a MAGA base angry over issues like the Jeffrey Epstein case. Still, attendees and organizers aren't completely dismissing the Trump attack, which could be just the first of more assaults on the event and those like it. The president has gone after a range of U.S. institutions at an impressive pace, and many are bending, not least because businesses and other factions that care what the U.S. president thinks can pull funding. But the people here are making an argument in return: If President Donald Trump and his team are willing to snub an event like the Aspen forum, it means government officials are increasingly sealing themselves off from outside opinions. Doing so could hamper the administration's efforts to achieve its national security goals. No matter how much the MAGA-heavy administration may dislike the Aspen conference, attendees argue, it is at least a place to stress-test ideas to make sure they're viable. What Trump's team is doing is 'what autocrats do — they don't want to hear criticism,' one foreign lawmaker said. 'I think sometimes they are nervous about engaging in a real debate about their policies,' a former Biden administration official said. 'It's not healthy.' On issues ranging from how Trump's tariffs will affect America's international alliances to the U.S. strategy on Taiwan, many in the national security space fear the president is not receiving the broad spectrum of advice he needs, and that increasingly neither are his underlings. It's especially foolish to reject ideas from the opposing political party, some said. One example is Trump's refusal — until, apparently, recently — to appreciate Russian leader Vladimir Putin's unwillingness to give up his desire to subsume Ukraine. The worries are reverberating in the top echelons of America's overseas allies. 'It's always better to engage, because real life is not binary,' a foreign minister told me. I granted nearly everyone I spoke to anonymity so they could be candid and because many told me they feared the Trump administration would retaliate against them. Some need to engage with the administration professionally; others fear losing clients. Aspen bills itself as America's 'premier national security and foreign policy conference,' and it increasingly is a destination for government officials from all over the world, as well as the D.C. set. More than a dozen Trump administration members had been slated to appear on various panels; most represented the Defense Department in some capacity, including Navy Secretary John Phelan. But on Monday, the day before the four-day conference began, the Pentagon announced it was pulling all of its people. Aside from the globalism claim, the Pentagon accused the forum of showing 'disdain for our great country, and hatred for the president.' Aspen organizers deny such allegations, noting their institution is nonpartisan, and they say their invitation to the Trump officials remains open. Trump aides might even win some converts to their America First views if they showed up, attendees and organizers hinted. The theme of the forum this year revolves around letting go of assumptions, an obvious nod to Trump's earth-shaking second term. 'A lot of what's happening in the world is making all of us who are experts in this field reassess our assumptions, and so actually engaging with people who think differently helps you do that, right?' Anja Manuel, the forum's executive director, told me. Even after the, umm, military withdrawal, the forum could still point to two Trump officials on its agenda: Tom Barrack, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey who also is dealing with the Syria file; and Adam Boehler, the special envoy tasked with retrieving American hostages held abroad. But then Barrack pulled out, officially due to a need to respond to new violence in Syria. If Boehler shows up, I guess we should be relieved that there's still bipartisan agreement the U.S. should try to save its hostages. The executive branch presence here is smaller than the norm across past administrations, including during Trump's first term. The secretary of State and the national security adviser tend to show up to Aspen. Not this time, and it's the same guy. The forum in this Colorado ski town is designed to allow for an exchange of views in a relaxing setting. Many of the conversations happen off-stage, and the leafy, mountainous views are indeed calming. The security forum, whose events are live-streamed, is also held right before a meeting of the Aspen Strategy Group where more unfiltered debate can happen. The latter is a private gathering, but it includes people from both political parties, including some Republicans who served in Trump's first term and who for the most part today are not seen as MAGA-worthy. Organizers told me they invited a slew of Trump administration officials to attend the strategy group as well as the forum, but for now, no current administration officials are expected to show up to the strategy group either. Are the public forum and the private strategy group gatherings of elites? Well … yes. Do they skew more left than right? Yes, especially in the Trump era. Something about all that probably frustrates the populist strain that animates much of Trump's MAGA movement. But it's getting harder in an increasingly polarized country to stage any events where top players in the national security field can exchange ideas across ideological lines, particularly in private settings where participants don't have to worry about nasty headlines about their proposals. If Republicans, under pressure from Trump, decide they shouldn't show up to forums such as Aspen, 'where is the place where smart liberals and conservatives can have a debate?' the former Biden administration official asked. Early in the first Trump administration, the Aspen forum drew several top officials, including then-CIA chief (and later Secretary of State) Mike Pompeo. As the years went by, the forum struggled to bring in Trump types, especially as the president's America First MAGA base grew more empowered over the traditional denizens. Pompeo, for instance, was staunchly loyal to Trump but is now viewed with suspicion by the MAGA faction. Republicans still involved in Aspen events, including those who worked for Trump in his first term, tend to be more the George W. Bush-era types who believe the U.S. should not retreat from the world. Aspen organizers told me they tried hard to get as much Trump representation as they could this year. And while most of the Trump military types who'd signed up were likely to be cautious (those in uniform in particular almost never say anything startling), they would nonetheless have offered a window into the administration's thinking, the topic that most interests many in the audience here. The Aspen forum also tends to draw many tech, cyber and other business leaders whose views the Trump administration might find helpful. Besides, had Hegseth's 'warfighters' been allowed to attend, they would have found that the Aspen forum is not exactly the Colosseum of such confabs. Its moderators press panelists, but they rarely go for the kill. I once published a piece suggesting some spicier questions for Aspen's moderators. It's still something of a mystery exactly who in the administration decided to pull the plug on its Aspen line-up. I asked the White House, the Pentagon and the State Department that question. The only real answer I received was from a White House official, granted anonymity to discuss internal deliberations, who said, 'We did not direct anyone to pull their speakers.' As conference attendees munched on paella and other treats this week, some wondered if the Pentagon, knowing the Trump team lacks a formal national security strategy, was worried that one of its representatives might say something that could irk the president. Others theorized that the Trump administration is trying to send a warning to all such conferences in an effort to reshape their programs more in the MAGA mold. When I asked Aspen organizers if they would change their program in response to a potential such demand, they declined to answer. Either way, the Trump administration's voice is nearly silent at a major gathering of national security thinkers, some of whom might even be useful allies on some issues. It is, a former senior U.S. intelligence official told me, a missed opportunity.
