The Dutch National Police seized the network infrastructure for the Redline and Meta infostealer malware operations in "Operation Magnus," warning cybercriminals that their data is now in the hands of law enforcement.
Operation Magnus was announced on a dedicated website that disclosed the disruption of the Redline and Meta operations, stating that legal actions based on the seized data are currently underway.
"On the 28th of October 2024 the Dutch National Police, working in close cooperation with the FBI and other partners of the international law enforcement task force
Operation Magnus, disrupted operation of the Redline and Meta infostealers," reads a short announcement on the
Operation Magnus site.
"Involved parties will be notified, and legal actions are underway."
Redline and Meta are both infostealers, a type of malware that steals stored information from browsers on an infected device, including credentials, authentication cookies, browsing history, sensitive documents, SSH keys, and cryptocurrency wallets.
This data is then sold by threat actors or used to fuel massive network breaches, leading to data theft, ransomware attacks, and cyberespionage.
Politie says they were able to disrupt the operation with the help of international law enforcement partners, including the FBI, NCIS, the U.S. Department of Justice, Eurojust, the NCA, and the police forces in Portugal and Belgium.
