On Friday, the Dutch police announced that they had successfully taken down the Exclu encrypted communications platform after hacking into the service to monitor criminal organizations. This operation was the result of two separate investigations that began in September 2020 and April 2022, and involved 79 targeted searches in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium, as well as the arrest of 42 people. Eurojust, Europol, and the police forces of Italy, Sweden, France, and Germany all provided assistance. Two of the arrested individuals were the owners and managers of the Exclu platform, while the remaining 40 were users of the service, including drug lab operators who had large amounts of narcotics, firearms, and over 4 million euros in cash. In the Netherlands alone, 22 locations were searched and 11 people were arrested in connection with the Exclu platform. The police used their expertise in technology and cybercrime to hack into the Exclu service, identify its users, and eventually dismantle its infrastructure. Exclu was selling six-month user subscriptions for €800, allowing users to exchange encrypted messages and media. It is estimated that the app had around 3,000 users, with 750 of them based in the Netherlands. The authorities now have access to all communication data, which they are using to continue their investigations. This could lead to the discovery of more illegal activity and provide evidence to support charges against suspects. Some of Exclu's user base consisted of professionals in sensitive fields, such as lawyers, investigators, notaries, and doctors, who value privacy. These individuals are encouraged to contact the police and request the removal of their data from the seized servers. People often use these obscure communication platforms instead of popular end-to-end encrypted products like Signal because they promise extreme confidentiality and multiple layers of encryption and security. Lesser-known crypto-phone services like Exclu are less likely to be detected and targeted by law enforcement authorities, allowing them to remain a secret from the general public for years. A similar crypto-phone platform takedown occurred in July 2022 with EncroChat, when several European police forces collaborated to dismantle the service and use seized data to identify criminals. EncroChat had over 60,000 users worldwide and sold subscriptions for €1,500 per six months, as well as providing 24/7 customer support. The FBI and the Australian Federal Police also created a fake end-to-end encrypted chat platform called ANOM, which allowed law enforcement to monitor the activities of criminal groups.
This Cyber News was published on www.bleepingcomputer.com. Publication date: Mon, 06 Feb 2023 17:08:02 +0000