Law Enforcement Operation Takes Down LabHost Phishing Service, UK University Students Among Suspects Arrested

By Scott Ikeda for CPO Magazine
Wednesday, April 24, 2024

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The “starving student” is a literary and cultural trope that dates back hundreds of years, but a life as a cyber crime service provider is a twist no author ever could have imagined. According to the London Metropolitan Police, university students were among the 37 suspects recently rounded up in a law enforcement operation that took down the LabHost phishing service.

Dr Ilia Kolochenko, CEO at ImmuniWeb, notes that these newcomers that are wandering into cybercrime are often not aware of the severity of the laws they are breaking and that educational campaigns might also make a difference: “Modern cybercrime is an incredibly profitable business, while risks of being apprehended – for experienced and well-organized gangs – verge on zero. Eventually, cyber gangs are actively recruiting the youth, namely IT and cybersecurity students, who are happy to make some extra money without much effort. Most of the newbies do not even realize that they break the law, as their tasks may be pretty innocent, such as designing websites or mobile applications. Some gangs go as far as hiring students on behalf of non-existent penetration testing companies and asking their new “employees” to find vulnerabilities on “client’s” websites. Worst, duped students are arrested and prosecuted, while cybercrime moguls remain unpunished and continue multiplying their fortunes and hiring new instrumental evildoers. Law enforcement agencies and government should urgently consider investing in educational and awareness campaigns among all students to prevent cybercrime: arrests and criminal prosecution merely treat the symptom, while the disease is swiftly proliferating making more and more victims.” Read Full Article