European law enforcement say they hacked a VPN (virtual private network) service used for ransomware attacks and other crimes and identified thousands of users before shutting down the VPN and arresting its administrator.
Europol announced yesterday the results of the operation against the service, FirstVPN. The First VPN website now displays a message stating that the domain was seized by a joint international law enforcement action.
“A VPN service used by cybercriminals to hide ransomware attacks, data theft and other serious crimes has been dismantled in an international operation led by France and the Netherlands with the support of Europol and Eurojust,” the agency said. “For years, the service, known as ‘First VPN,’ was promoted on Russian-speaking cybercrime forums as a reliable tool for staying beyond the reach of law enforcement. It offered users anonymous payments, hidden infrastructure, and services specifically designed for criminal use.”
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