Security News Police seize Matrix encrypted chat service after spying on criminals

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https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/police-seize-matrix-encrypted-chat-service-after-spying-on-criminals/

An international law enforcement operation codenamed 'Operation Passionflower' has shut down MATRIX, an encrypted messaging platform used by cybercriminals to coordinate illegal activities while evading police.

It should be noted that MATRIX is a different entity from the secure open-source, decentralized, real-time communications protocol with the same name, which is perfectly legal to continue using.

The operation was conducted across Europe, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Lithuania, Spain, and Germany, and was coordinated by Europol and Eurojust.

The police tracked down MATRIX after recovering the phone of a shooter who attempted to assassinate journalist Peter R. de Vries in July 2021.

After analyzing the phone, they discovered it was customized to connect to an encrypted messaging service called Matrix.

A joint investigation team (JIT) between the Dutch and French authorities allowed the police to monitor and intercept 2.3 million messages in 33 different languages sent through the devices. However, no technical details were provided on how they could do so.

"For three months, authorities were able to monitor the messages from possible criminals, which will now be used to support other investigations." reads an announcement by Europol.

Police seize Matrix encrypted chat service after spying on criminals

An international law enforcement operation codenamed 'Operation Passionflower' has shut down MATRIX, an encrypted messaging platform used by cybercriminals to coordinate illegal activities while evading police.

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