GozNym network takedown

[David H. Lipman]

Feds Target $100M ‘GozNym’ Cybercrime Network

GozNym Cyber-Criminal Network Operating out of Europe Targeting American Entities Dismantled in International Operation

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A complex transnational organized cybercrime network that used GozNym malware in an attempt to steal an estimated $100 million from unsuspecting victims in the United States and around the world has been dismantled as part of an international law enforcement operation.  GozNym infected tens of thousands of victim computers worldwide, primarily in the United States and Europe.  The operation was highlighted by the unprecedented initiation of criminal prosecutions against members of the network in four different countries as a result of cooperation between the United States, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Germany, Bulgaria, Europol and Eurojust. 

United States Attorney Scott W. Brady of the Western District of Pennsylvania made the announcement at Europol, located in The Hague, Netherlands, along with his international partners. 

The operation was conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the FBI’s Pittsburgh Field Office, along with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Georgia, Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine, Office of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Moldova, Public Prosecutor’s Office Verden (Germany), the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office of Cassation of the Republic of Bulgaria, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, National Police of Ukraine, General Police Inspectorate of the Republic of Moldova, the Luneburg Police of Germany and the Republic of Bulgaria’s General Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime with the significant assistance of Europol and Eurojust.

“International law enforcement has recognized that the only way to truly disrupt and defeat transnational, anonymized networks is to do so in partnership,” said U.S. Attorney Brady.  “The collaborative and simultaneous prosecution of the members of the GozNym criminal conspiracy in four countries represents a paradigm shift in how we investigate and prosecute cybercrime.  Cybercrime victimizes people all over the world.  This prosecution represents an international cooperative effort to bring cybercriminals to justice.”  

Earlier today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania unsealed an Indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh charging 10 members of the GozNym criminal network with conspiracy to commit computer fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.  An eleventh member of the conspiracy was previously charged in a related Indictment.  The victims of these crimes were primarily U.S. businesses and their financial institutions, including a number of victims located in the Western District of Pennsylvania. 

“This takedown highlights the importance of collaborating with our international law enforcement partners against this evolution of organized cybercrime,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Robert Jones.  “Successful investigation and prosecution is only possible by sharing intelligence, credit and responsibility.  Our adversaries know that we are weakest along the seams and this case is a fantastic example of what we can accomplish collectively."

 

 

[Maurice Naggar]

Bravo   🤘

[Firefox]

That's Great, one down and many more to go..