PJ is part of the world’s largest anti-malware operation. Detained in Portugal

Judicial police were involved in the “largest operation ever carried out” against malicious and particularly invasive software, involving several countries and culminating in four arrests, one of whom was in Portugal, police said today.

In a statement, the SP said it was involved in the “largest anti-botnet operation ever” from Europol headquarters, detaining one person in Portugal and carrying out two of 11 house searches in the country.

The organization also said it was involved in Operation Finale, which took place from May 27 to 29 through its National Cyber ​​and Technology Crime Unit.

According to the joint venture, “a significant amount of computer equipment has been assembled that will allow both the collection of relevant evidence of criminal activity and the support of subsequent investigations.”

According to the joint venture, during Operation Finale, the activity of many malware drops was reduced, including IcedID, systemBC, Pikabot, Smokeloader and Bumblebee, which are malicious software designed to infect computer systems and thus allow subsequent access to other forms of malware (viruses, spyware and ransomware).

Dropper activity is characterized by infiltrating a target system (logging in via email, compromised web pages, or associated with legitimate applications), executing it on that system, using evasion techniques (attempting to mask one’s digital footprint), and finally installing a payload. (additional malware that will affect the hardware), explains PJ.

During the operation, four people were detained and more than 100 servers were disabled, Europol said. The international operation has had a “global impact on the dropper ecosystem,” Europol said, referring to the method used to install malware on devices.

In addition to the four arrested, eight fugitives linked to this criminal activity will be added to Europe’s most wanted list.

Operation Finale continues and more arrests are expected, the European Union Agency for Police Cooperation said.

The operation, carried out from May 27-29 at the headquarters of the European Police Agency in The Hague, the Netherlands, led to arrests in Portugal, Armenia and Ukraine, as well as about two dozen searches in four countries.

The target servers were located in several European countries, as well as the USA and Canada.

According to European forensic agency Eurojust, an investigation launched in 2022 found that one of the main suspects earned at least 69 million euros in cryptocurrency by renting criminal infrastructure to deploy “ransomware.”

“Ransomware” is a type of malicious computer program that exploits the security vulnerabilities of a company or individual and threatens victims with the destruction or blocking of access to critical data or systems until a ransom is paid.