Law enforcement shuts down VPN service used by two dozen ransomware gangs
TechCrunch • • world
Key Points:
- An international coalition of law enforcement agencies dismantled First VPN, a popular virtual private network service widely used by cybercriminals, and arrested its administrator.
- The FBI reported that at least 25 ransomware gangs relied on First VPN to conceal their malicious activities, including scanning the internet, running botnets, launching DDoS attacks, and conducting scams.
- Europol highlighted that First VPN provided cybercriminals with anonymous connections, payments, and hidden infrastructure, making it deeply embedded in the cybercrime ecosystem and involved in major investigations.
- Despite First VPN’s claims of not storing logs, investigators obtained the service’s user database, identified thousands of users linked to cybercrime, and notified them of the shutdown.
- The operation, initiated in December 2021, resulted in the arrest of the VPN administrator, dismantling of dozens of servers, and disruption of the service’s infrastructure.