European agencies dismantle encrypted messaging app Exclu used extensively by cyber criminals

teiss
Wednesday, February 8, 2023

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Criminals paid around £1,500 for a six-month contract with EncroChat, in exchange for which they received custom phones which had pre-loaded apps for instant messaging, the ability to make VOIP calls, and a kill code that wiped them remotely.

Commenting on the takedown of Exclu, Dr. Ilia Kolochenko, Founder of ImmuniWeb, said, “This is another great validation that cross-border collaboration between national law enforcement agencies is capable of efficiently suppressing cybercrime. Unfortunately, the current funding of European law enforcement units, which are dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of cybercrime, is largely insufficient to combat the rapidly growing number of sophisticated cyber threat actors around the globe.

“For example, when a Dark Web marketplace disappears after a successful police raid, two more successors rapidly appear negating all the efforts. Worst, most cyber gangs are physically based in non-extraditable or hostile foreign jurisdictions, making any legal actions against perpetrators futile. Global collaboration between law enforcement agencies and adequate increase of their funding is urgently required, otherwise, governments may lose control over the Internet pretty soon,” Kolochenko added. Read Full Article