Europol and the FBI, in a somewhat unprecedented enforcement action, shut down a VPN service called Safe-Inet that has helped cyber criminals hide their operations.
The service did not keep logs and routed traffic through a series of VPN connections. While many VPN services strive to maintain customer privacy and security, this company has clearly crossed the line.
Millions of internet users around the world use VPNs to keep data secure and protect their privacy online.
Another major benefit is that VPNs mask users’ real IP addresses, making them anonymous, and this prevents external monitoring devices from unwanted intrusion.
While there are reasons to remain anonymous, these services can also be misused by criminals.
This can lead to problems, as most VPN service providers do not keep identifiable records, making the job of law enforcement agencies even more difficult.
Europol and the FBI shut down the service, which did its best to keep its customers invisible.
According to Europol, the service was used by some of the biggest cybercriminals, including ransomware operators, and the criminals managed to avoid detection with the help of the VPN service.
The European Law Enforcement Agency said: This VPN service has been sold at a high price to the criminal world as one of the best tools available to avoid interception from law enforcement agencies, offering up to 5 layers of anonymous VPN connections.
Law enforcement agencies have identified about 250 companies around the world that have been spied on by criminals using this VPN.
These companies were later warned of an imminent ransomware attack against their systems, allowing them to take measures to protect themselves from such an attack.
Operation Nova targeted multiple VPN servers and domains, which also provided hosting services.
The US authorities also confiscated several servers and took control of three associated domain names: INSORG.ORG, SAFE-INET.COM, and SAFE-INET.NET.
All domain names display a sign of seizure along with the badges of the various law enforcement agencies that contributed to the process.
The US Department of Justice indicated that this service is intentionally designed to provide hosting services or VPN services to criminals.
They are designed to facilitate online criminal activities and allow agents to evade detection by law enforcement agencies.
Many of these services are advertised in online forums dedicated to discussing criminal activity.
