New crackdown on ransomware gang responsible for Altran hack

On November 28, 2023, Europol and Eurojust announced they had coordinated an international police sting leading to the arrest of five cybercriminals in Ukraine. They are suspected of being members of the ransomware gang responsible for the Altran hack in 2019. Among them is the cybercriminal group’s leader.

French law enforcement’s cybercrime unit led the investigation into the Altran hack. It requested international help and, in September 2019, France, Norway, the United Kingdom and Ukraine set up a joint investigative team (JIT), supported by Eurojust and Europol.

The JIT had already enabled the arrest of thirteen suspects in Ukraine in 2021. As part of this new sting, more than twenty detectives made their way from Germany, the United States, France and Norway to Kiev. All in all, law enforcement searched more than thirty locations and seized around a hundred digital devices.

According to Eurojust, the ransomware gang has claimed over 1,800 victims across 71 countries, mainly large corporations. Total damages from the attacks amount to several hundred million euros.