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Cybercriminal VPN Dismantled in Crackdown

· Published 21/05/2026 23:03 · Modified 22/05/2026 07:13

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Published
21/05/2026 23:03
Modified
22/05/2026 07:13
Tags
2026-05-21 cybercrime forums data theft europol first vpn fraud operations law enforcement operation ransomware operators takedown
Related entities
10 techniques (mitre), 3 others

Description

A coordinated led by France and the Netherlands has successfully taken down , a service extensively used by , fraudsters, and data thieves to conceal their criminal activities. The operation, which took place from May 19-20, resulted in the dismantling of 33 servers, seizure of three domains, and a house search of the administrator in Ukraine. The VPN service had been advertised on Russian-language for years, accepting anonymous payments and providing infrastructure specifically designed for illicit use. Investigators gained access to the user database, generating 83 intelligence packages shared internationally, information on 506 users distributed globally, and advancing 21 investigations. The service had appeared in almost every major cybercrime investigation supported by in recent years.

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