The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced an international operation on Tuesday to combat the Redline and META infostealers, malware that have stolen sensitive information from millions of devices around the world.
The DOJ is working with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation Division, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the Army Criminal Investigative Service, and multiple international agencies to conduct Operation Magnus under Europol's Joint Cybercrime Action Task Force (JCAT). The operation, which includes the Netherlands and Belgium, targets the infrastructure of these infostealers by seizing domains, servers, and Telegram accounts used to distribute and manage these infostealers.
The DOJ noted: "Infostealers are a prevalent type of malware used to steal sensitive information from victims' computers, including usernames and passwords, financial information, system information, cookies, and cryptocurrency accounts."
Redline and META are distributed through a decentralized Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) model that allows affiliates to purchase licenses and conduct independent campaigns using techniques such as phishing, malicious advertising, and fake software downloads. The stolen data, called "logs," includes usernames, passwords, and financial data, which are often sold on dark web forums for further exploitation.
Charges against Redline's main developer and administrator, Maxim Rudometov, were also made public. He faces charges of access device fraud, conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, and money laundering, which carry a maximum sentence of 35 years in prison if convicted. (Bitcoin.com)
Miyuki
