Cybercops Derail Malware Botnet, FBI Makes Ransomware Arrest

Cybercops Derail Malware Botnet, FBI Makes Ransomware Arrest
The sun bounces off the Europol headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, on Oct. 10, 2018. Peter Dejong/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:

THE HAGUE, Netherlands—European and North American cyber cops have joined forces to disrupt what may be the world’s largest network for seeding malware infections. The operation appears to strike a major blow against criminal gangs that have used that network for years to install ransomware for extortion schemes and to steal data and money.

Separately, the FBI announced the arrest Wednesday of a Canadian as part of a bid to disrupt a ransomware gang that has targeted the health care sector, but has also hit municipalities, law enforcement and school districts, mostly in the United States. The FBI said it seized nearly half a million dollars in cryptocurrency.