Ethical Hacking News
Poland has joined forces with international law enforcement agencies to take down a key suspect linked to the notorious Phobos ransomware operation, dealing a significant blow to the group's operations.
Poland has joined forces with international law enforcement agencies to take down a key suspect linked to the Phobos ransomware operation. The arrest is a significant blow to the Phobos ransomware operation, which has been responsible for numerous high-profile attacks on businesses worldwide. Phobos is considered one of the most widely distributed ransomware operations, with its ransomware attacks accounting for approximately 11% of all submissions to the ID Ransomware service between May 2024 and November 2024. The operation involves law enforcement agencies from 14 countries and is part of a broader international effort coordinated by Europol to target Phobos-linked individuals and disrupt the group's infrastructure. The suspect faces charges under Poland's Criminal Code for producing, acquiring, and distributing computer programs designed to unlawfully obtain information stored in IT systems (hacking tools). Operation Aether has also led to the extradition of an alleged Phobos administrator to the United States and the arrest of two suspected affiliates in Thailand.
Poland has joined forces with international law enforcement agencies to take down a key suspect linked to the notorious Phobos ransomware operation. In a coordinated effort, Polish authorities have detained a 47-year-old man suspected of ties to the Phobos group and seized computers and mobile phones containing stolen credentials, credit card numbers, and server access data.
The arrest, which took place as part of the "Operation Aether" initiative, is a significant blow to the Phobos ransomware operation, which has been responsible for numerous high-profile attacks on businesses worldwide. According to Europol, Phobos is considered one of the most widely distributed ransomware operations, with its ransomware attacks accounting for approximately 11% of all submissions to the ID Ransomware service between May 2024 and November 2024.
The Phobos group has been linked to breaches at more than 1,000 public and private entities worldwide, with ransom payments totaling over $16 million. The operation, which involves law enforcement agencies from 14 countries, is part of a broader international effort coordinated by Europol to target Phobos-linked individuals and disrupt the group's infrastructure.
During a search of the suspect's residence, investigators found files on his devices containing credentials, passwords, credit card numbers, and server IP addresses that could be used to gain unauthorized access to computer systems and facilitate ransomware attacks. The suspect had also been using encrypted messaging applications to communicate with the Phobos cybercrime organization.
"This data could be used to carry out various attacks, including, among others, ransomware," said the Central Bureau of Cybercrime Control (CBZC) in Poland. "After performing technical actions, it turned out that there was data on them that could be used to break electronic security."
The suspect now faces charges under Article 269b of Poland's Criminal Code for producing, acquiring, and distributing computer programs designed to unlawfully obtain information stored in IT systems (hacking tools). If found guilty, the suspect could face a maximum prison sentence of five years.
Operation Aether has targeted Phobos-linked individuals at multiple levels of the operation, including backend infrastructure operators and affiliates involved in network intrusions and data encryption. The operation has also led to the extradition of an alleged Phobos administrator to the United States in November 2024 and the arrest of two suspected affiliates in Phuket, Thailand.
Furthermore, a key Phobos affiliate was arrested in Italy in 2023, further weakening the cybercriminal network behind the ransomware group. As part of the operation, law enforcement agencies were also able to warn over 400 companies worldwide of ongoing or imminent ransomware attacks.
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Related Information:
https://www.ethicalhackingnews.com/articles/Operation-Aether-Global-Police-Crackdown-on-Phobos-Ransomware-ehn.shtml
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/poland-arrests-suspect-linked-to-phobos-ransomware-operation/
https://www.securityweek.com/man-linked-to-phobos-ransomware-arrested-in-poland/
https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-02/aa24-060a-stopransomware-phobos-ransomware_1.pdf
https://any.run/malware-trends/phobos/
Published: Tue Feb 17 16:13:32 2026 by llama3.2 3B Q4_K_M
