Red Hot Cyber
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When we talk about cybercrime, we often think of something far away, something that doesn’t concern us. But the truth is that cyberattacks can happen to anyone and have devastating consequences. Just think of the hackers who have targeted hospitals and critical infrastructure, putting people’s lives at risk.
Precisely for this reason, it is important that authorities take drastic measures to stop these criminals. In the United States, Germany, and Finland, law enforcement agencies have joined forces to shut down a cryptocurrency platform used by cybercriminals to launder money.
The platform in question was E-Note, a service that, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, was actively used by transnational criminal groups to launder money obtained through ransomware attacks. This operation is a major step forward in the fight against cybercrime and demonstrates that authorities are willing to take drastic measures to protect citizens and critical infrastructure.
According to the agency, since 2017, the service has facilitated ransomware-related transactions totaling over $70 million . The victims’ funds were transferred via anonymous E-Note payment channels and distributed through a network of front men to conceal their origin. It is suspected that the platform was used not only to transfer the stolen funds but also to create a sustainable money laundering scheme.
As part of the operation, servers, mobile applications, and three websites supporting E-Note were seized. Law enforcement also gained access to user databases and transaction archives . The official statement emphasizes that blocking the digital infrastructure was an important step in combating the illicit financial flows that support ransomware activities.
At the same time, 39-year-old Mikhail Petrovich Chudnovets , whom investigators believe was behind the operation of E-Note, was indicted in the Eastern District of Michigan . He is charged with money laundering, a crime that carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Case documents indicate he had been involved in similar activities since 2010, long before the platform’s launch.
The investigation involved officers from the Michigan State Police, as well as representatives from the German Criminal Police and the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation. The joint efforts of law enforcement disrupted the logistics of the digital underground economy that supported the extortion campaigns.
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