Joint Investigation on 'Ransomware' Across 17 Countries Worldwide... Three Korean Suspects Arrested

Europol and Interpol Participate in 'Gold Dust' Operation
GandCrab Ransomware Distributed to 7,000 People... Demand of 270 Billion KRW

Police Agency building.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] A group that attempted to extort billions of won worldwide by distributing the malicious 'GandCrab ransomware' has been caught following a joint investigation by police forces around the world, including South Korea.

Europol (EPO) announced on the 9th that, through the 'GoldDust' operation targeting ransomware distributors in cooperation with 17 countries including South Korea, seven suspects were arrested across four countries. The nationalities of those arrested are three from South Korea, two from Romania, and one each from the United States and Kuwait.

They are accused of distributing GandCrab ransomware to 7,000 victims worldwide since 2019, demanding a total of 200 million euros (approximately 270 billion KRW). Ransomware is a malicious program that locks systems or encrypts data to make it unusable, then demands money.

In Europe, as ransomware attacks became frequent against large multinational corporations, the GoldDust operation was established centered on Europol, involving Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization, ICPO) and law enforcement agencies from various countries to arrest the distributors. This operation involved 17 countries including South Korea, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Kuwait, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Philippines.

South Korean police arrested Mr. A (20), who distributed about 200,000 ransomware cases daily from February to June 2019, in February this year, followed by the arrest of Mr. B (18), who sent about 100 cases daily from January to July 2019, and Mr. C (17), who introduced Mr. B to Mr. A and aided the crime. This arrest case was also presented as an investigation case at the '30th UN Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Committee Regular Meeting' in May.

A police official emphasized, "We will respond strictly to crimes involving the distribution of malicious programs such as ransomware by cooperating more closely with domestic related agencies and overseas investigative agencies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.