Law enforcement agencies across multiple countries have coordinated a significant operation targeting the pro-Russian hacktivist group “NoName057(16)”. Europol confirmed the international action, which involved authorities in Germany, France and the United States, among others, over the past several days.
The Frankfurt General Public Prosecutor’s Office and the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) announced actions taken on Tuesday against individuals and infrastructure associated with the group. These measures were part of the coordinated international police operation “Eastwood” spearheaded by the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime (ZIT) and the BKA.
As a result of the international collaboration, a botnet comprised of hundreds of servers globally has been successfully dismantled. This network was utilized to conduct targeted Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks.
In Germany, six international arrest warrants have been issued against Russian nationals or individuals residing in Russia. Two of these warrants are for those suspected of being key figures behind “NoName057(16)”. Spanish authorities have also issued a further arrest warrant. Efforts to locate and apprehend all suspects are underway internationally, with some actively publicized.
Furthermore, law enforcement executed search warrants at 24 locations internationally believed to be linked to the group’s supporters, including one in Berlin and two in Bavaria. Seized evidence is currently undergoing analysis.
“Organized DDoS campaigns can have severe consequences, even impacting the sense of security within a population” stated BKA President Holger Münch. “Therefore, they must be consistently pursued through criminal prosecution and, wherever possible, prevented. Our internationally coordinated efforts demonstrate that, together with our partners, we are capable of investigating attacks in the digital space and responding to the rising threat landscape in cyberspace with police measures”.