Police crack encrypted chat service MATRIX used by criminals

Date:
Wed, 04 Dec 2024 12:00:00 +0000

Description:
European authorities have disrupted and deciphered a chat service used by
criminals.

FULL STORY

Europol has revealed that sophisticated encrypted messaging service, MATRIX,
has been taken down following a joint action by French and Dutch authorities,
dubbed  Operation Passionflower . The service has been linked to serious
crimes, including arms trafficking and money laundering. 

A three month investigation led to a coordinated operation, supported by
Europol and Eurojust. The messaging service was made by criminals, for
criminals, and was first discovered on the phone of the man convicted of the
murder of a Dutch journalist in 2021. 

Over 2.3 million messages in 33 languages were deciphered during the
investigation. The MATRIX infrastructure spanned 40 servers, primarily based
in France and Germany, with over 8,000 users, who pay between 1,300 and 1,600
per user for a six month subscription.

Operation Passionflower 

Authorities have arrested the suspected owner and operator of the platform as
part of the action, and have seized over half a million dollars worth of
cryptocurrencies. As well as confiscating cryptocurrencies, the investigation
seized a villa worth over 15 million euros, four vehicles, and 970 phones. 

Authorities have warned criminals in a message posted onto the former site.
Its not the first time and will not be the last time we are able to read the
messages in real time. We gained access to data related to this service, and
our investigation does not end here, the statement says . 

Earlier this year, Interpol disrupted thousands of cybercrime instances as
part of Operation Synergia. The operation led to over 1,00 servers and 22,000
malicious IP addresses being taken down. 

Cybercrime continues to be a cat and mouse game, with servers seized and
closed by authorities across the globe. Europol have reported that the
infrastructure of the MATRIX service was more complex than previously 
targeted platforms, and represents a significant step forward for law
enforcement. 

While the new fragmented landscape poses challenges for law enforcement, the
takedown of established communication channels, shows that authorities are on
top of the latest technologies that criminals use. Europols statement
confirmed. 

Via NL Times

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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/police-crack-encrypted-chat-service-mat
rix-used-by-criminals

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