Authorities seized bulletproof internet hosting service LolekHosted and made five arrests for allegedly facilitating ransomware attacks and other malicious activities.
A foolproof hosting provider is an online infrastructure used in particular to turn a blind eye to users’ activities. LolekHosted promised one hundred percent privacy and a strict no-logging policy, allowing consumers to host “anything except child pornography,” the U. S. government said.
At least 400 networks worldwide have reportedly been compromised through attackers who used the provider’s domain names during a decade of activity.
This joint investigation supported by Europol and the FBI is the latest effort in the global fight against malware attacks and cybercrime.
“Being willing to forget about the transgressions of their consumers does not mean that the authorities will take the same position,” a Europol official said.
“The complex investigation into LolekHosted. net revealed how the service facilitated the distribution of information-stealing malware, as well as the release of DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks, fictitious online stores, botnet server management, and spam distribution worldwide. “
The authorities closed on August 8 and, two days later, returned to the former positions its founder, the Polish Artur Grabowski, 36, and at least four other key operators.
Grabowski was charged with computer fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to engage in money laundering abroad. It allegedly facilitated the criminal activities of LolekHosted consumers by allowing them to log into accounts with false information, without keeping IP address logs from its servers. He is also accused of ignoring court cases of third-party abuse and failing to inform clients about legal investigations.
Grabowski, who at the time of writing is still at large, also faces a $21. 5 million forfeiture order and faces a minimum of forty-five years in prison.
Among the allegations, LolekHosted is also accused of its role in supporting criminals to carry out at least 50 NetWalker ransomware attacks against more than 400 networks worldwide. More than 5,000 bitcoins were reportedly charged as a ransom, worth about $146 million at current prices. as a result of such malicious activities.
The government has recently stepped up its fight against cybercrime. PowerHost[. ] Another bulletproof hosting service shut down in June 2023 for similar reasons, while MaxiDed suffered the same fate in 2018.
So while the allegations against LolekHosted have yet to be brought before the courts, we can expect those investigations and allegations to become more and more frequent.
Chiara is a multimedia journalist committed to covering stories to publicize rights and expose abuses in the virtual aspect of life, wherever cybersecurity, markets and politics are intertwined. He mainly writes news, interviews and research on knowledge privacy, online censorship, virtual rights and cybercrime. and security software, specializing in VPN, for TechRadar Pro, TechRadar, and Tom’s Guide. Do you have a story, a gimmick, or something technologically appealing to say?Contact chiara. castro@futurenet. com
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