- A man was arrested in Moldova
- He is suspected of mounting multiple cyberattacks
- One of the attacks caused roughly €4.5 million in damages
Moldovan authorities have arrested a 45-year-old foreign national suspected of mounting multiple cyberattacks, including a ransomware attack with multimillion-dollar damages.
In a press release published on the website of the Moldova police, it was said that multiple national law enforcement agencies participated, together with the Dutch police. The person’s identity was not disclosed, it was only said that he was temporarily in Moldova, and not a Moldovan national.
“He is announced as an international wanted for committing several cybercrimes (ransomware attacks, blackmail and money laundering) on companies based in the Netherlands,” the machine-translated press release says.
Outdated software
The Moldovan police said the person is suspected of organizing a ransomware attack on the Dutch Scientific Research Organization (NWO), causing material damage of €4.5 million. They seem to be referring to the February 2021 attack, when a group known as DoppelPaymer struck NWO and, when a ransom payment wasn’t met, released stolen sensitive files on the net.
According to Science.org, the attack began on 8 February and “completely knocked out the agency’s grant application and review process and cut off NWO’s communication with applicants, grantees, and universities”. The organization disclosed the attack a few days later, on February 14, and said that it was no longer able to use email, apps, or phones. It was also forced to cancel meetings until at least March 15, and said it was unable to receive or pay its bills.
During the arrest, the police also searched the suspect’s home and car, and seized €84,000 in cash, an electronic wallet, two laptops, a mobile phone, a tablet, six bank cards, two portable data storage devices, and six memory cards.
The suspect is currently under arrest and is awaiting extradition. Although the announcement doesn’t state which nationality the suspect is, or where he’ll be extradited, it’s safe to assume that he will be sent to the Netherlands.
Via The Hacker News
