Police crack encrypted chat service MATRIX used by criminals
- The criminal chat server MATRIX has been taken offline by the police
- More than 2.3 million messages have been retrieved
- The operation was a joint effort between Europol and Eurojust
Europol has revealed that the advanced encrypted messaging service MATRIX has been removed following a joint action by French and Dutch authorities called ‘Operation Passionflower‘. The agency has been linked to serious crimes, including arms trafficking and money laundering.
A three-month investigation led to a coordinated operation, supported by Europol and Eurojust. The messaging service was created by criminals, for criminals, and was first discovered on the phone of the man convicted in 2021 of murdering a Dutch journalist.
During the investigation, more than 2.3 million messages in 33 languages were deciphered. The MATRIX infrastructure included 40 servers, mainly located in France and Germany, with over 8,000 users, paying between €1,300 and €1,600 per user for a six-month subscription.
Operation Passionflower
Authorities arrested the suspected owner and operator of the platform as part of the operation, and seized more than half a million dollars worth of cryptocurrencies. In addition to the seizure of cryptocurrencies, the investigation also seized a villa worth more than 15 million euros, four vehicles and 970 telephones.
Authorities warned criminals in a message on the former site. “It is not the first time and will not be the last time that we can read the messages in real time. We have accessed data related to this service, and our investigation does not end here,” the statement says.
Earlier this year, Interpol disrupted thousands of cybercrime cases as part of ‘Operation Synergia’. The operation led to the removal of more than 1,00 servers and 22,000 malicious IP addresses.
Cybercrime remains a cat-and-mouse game, with servers around the world being seized and shut down by authorities. Europol reported that the infrastructure of the MATRIX service was more complex than previously targeted platforms, and represents a significant step forward for law enforcement.
“While the new fragmented landscape poses challenges for law enforcement, disabling established communication channels shows that authorities are aware of the latest technologies criminals are using.” Europol’s statement was confirmed.
Via NL Times