Skip to main content Tech Radar Pro Tech Radar Gaming Tech Radar Pro TechRadar the business technology experts Search TechRadar View Profile België (Nederlands) Deutschland North America US (English) Australasia New Zealand Expert Insights Website builders Web hosting Best web hosting Best office chairs Best website builder Best antivirus Expert Insights Recommended reading FBI, Secret Service operation takes down AVCheck site used to test malware Major Interpol operation takes thousands of infostealer sites offline, dozens arrested Europol says it disrupted a major pro-Russian DDoS crime gang One of the biggest ransomware gangs around is shutting down - but is it for good? DDoS-for-hire operation taken down in major police sting Microsoft takes legal action against Lumma Stealer after 400,000 devices infected Ransomware gang attacking NAS devices taken down in major police operation Top ransomware group BlackSuit has dark web extortion sites seized and shut down Sead Fadilpašić 28 July 2025 Operation Checkmate successfully disrupted BlackSuit When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Image credit: Pixabay (Image credit: Pixabay) Numerous law enforcement agencies banded together to disrupt BlackSuit The ransomware operators had multiple websites seized No arrests had been made Notorious ransomware operator BlackSuit has had its infrastructure disrupted by a major law enforcement campaign. As part of the action, BlackSuit’s main website, accessed through The Onion Router (TOR), was defaced and left with a banner usually propped up by law enforcement after domain seizure. "This site has been seized by U.S. Homeland Security Investigations as part of a coordinated international law enforcement investigation," the banner said. You may like FBI, Secret Service operation takes down AVCheck site used to test malware Major Interpol operation takes thousands of infostealer sites offline, dozens arrested Europol says it disrupted a major pro-Russian DDoS crime gang Medusa claims responsibility US Homeland Security, the US Department of Justic (DoJ), the FBI, and other agencies have not yet published an official announcement regarding the takedown, but the DoJ has confirmed the action was part of Operation Checkmate. Besides the main site, other websites (including the leak site and negotiation site) were also shut down. This was an international operation, conducted by the US Secret Service, the Dutch National Police, the German State Criminal Police Office, the UK National Crime Agency, the Frankfurt General Prosecutor's Office, the Justice Department, the Ukrainian Cyber Police, Europol, and others. Bitdefender, a private cybersecurity company, also assisted, saying, "We commend our law enforcement partners for their coordination and determination. Operations like this reinforce the critical role of public-private partnerships in tracking, exposing, and ultimately dismantling ransomware groups that operate in the shadows." Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. A US Department of Health and Human Services report published in late November 2023 said BlackSuit was first spotted in May that year, showing “striking parallels with Royal, the direct successor of the former notorious Russian-linked Conti operation”. Unfortunately, taking down websites and seizing infrastructure rarely stops ransomware attacks - it just slows them down a little bit. It usually takes a few weeks for threat actors to recover and continue where they left off, and usually won’t stop until they are arrested. Via BleepingComputer You might also like Major police operation takes down notorious dark web marketplace Archetyp Market Take a look at our guide to the best authenticator app We've rounded up the best password managers Sead Fadilpašić Social Links Navigation Sead is a seasoned freelance journalist based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. He writes about IT (cloud, IoT, 5G, VPN) and cybersecurity (ransomware, data breaches, laws and regulations). In his career, spanning more than a decade, he’s written for numerous media outlets, including Al Jazeera Balkans. He’s also held several modules on content writing for Represent Communications. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name. FBI, Secret Service operation takes down AVCheck site used to test malware Major Interpol operation takes thousands of infostealer sites offline, dozens arrested Europol says it disrupted a major pro-Russian DDoS crime gang One of the biggest ransomware gangs around is shutting down - but is it for good? 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