Law enforcement authorities have taken down an underground virtual private network (VPN) service, DoubleVPN, used by cybercriminals to conceal their activities when carrying out ransomware attacks, phishing scams and other malicious operations.
DoubleVPN offered users the ability to hide their locations and identities. Cybercriminals exploited this VPN service to carry out their malicious activities anonymously.
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Now its servers and web domains have been seized and taken down thanks to a coordinated operation by the Dutch National Police (Politie) and other agencies, including 's European Cybercrime Centre Europol (EC3), Eurojust, the FBI and the UK's National Crime Agency.
According to Europol, the VPN service, DoubleVPN, was advertised on Russian and English-language hacking forums as a means for criminals (ransomware gangs and phishing attack operators) to hide their activities. The cheapest VPN connection offered cost just $25.
However, the servers hosting DoubleVPN around the world have been seized and the web domains associated with the VPN service have been replaced with a notice, which reads: “On June 29, 2021, law enforcement authorities took down DoubleVPN. Authorities gained access to DoubleVPN’s servers and obtained personal information, logs, and statistics that DoubleVPN maintains for all of its customers. The owners of Double VPN failed to provide the services they promised.”
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“This investigation should be a wake-up call for perpetrators who believe they can remain anonymous,” said a Dutch court prosecutor, adding that this coordinated operation by the authorities shows that there is no safe haven for such criminals. “Their criminal acts harm digital society and erode the trust of citizens and companies in digital technologies, so their actions must be stopped,” he said.
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“Law enforcement authorities are most effective when they work with other experts, and today’s announcement sends a strong message to criminals who use such services: the golden age of VPNs for criminals is over. Together with our international partners, we are committed to delivering this message loud and clear,” said Edvardas Šileris, Head of Europol’s EC3.
Law enforcement agencies from Germany, Canada, Sweden, Italy, Bulgaria, and Switzerland also participated in this operation to take down the DoubleVPN VPN service.
Source: ZDNet
