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The FBI has partnered with European police to shut down Redline and Meta, two types of Windows-based malware that could be used to steal millions of passwords.
The Dutch National Police today announced the takedown of the website dedicated to Operation Magnus. “We gained full access to all Redline and Meta servers,” they said.
The site also says police have distributed an update to hackers using the Redline and Meta malware designed to spy on them. The police discovered that the hackers were stealing the victims' data and the connections they had with the vendors of the Redline and Meta malware. The same update can also reveal the IP address of criminals.
“Thank you for posting this update. We look forward to seeing you soon,” the video said next to an image of two handcuffed hands. The same site promises to announce another update tomorrow while warning: “Those involved will be notified, and legal action is ongoing.”
Europol and the UK's National Crime Agency have since confirmed the legitimacy of Operation Magnus, although it is unclear how law enforcement got into the servers.
However, harassment is expected to have a major impact on cybercrime. Redline is one of the most dangerous “credential theft” programs available in the hacking world. Security researchers at Specops Software recently estimated that Redline infections stole more than 170 million passwords in the past six months.
Active since at least 2020, Redline is often distributed via phishing emails or Internet downloads. It works by harvesting information from victimized computers, including information entered into the browser, such as passwords. Malware creators were selling access to it for $100 or $150 a month.
The Meta, which arrived on the scene in 2022, operated in a similar fashion. Specops Software's report also estimates that it has stolen about 38 million passwords in the past six months.
According to a takedown notice from European police, Redline and Meta are “extremely similar,” indicating that the two types of malware were created by the same creators. Both models were available for sale on the Telegram messaging app.
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