European Law Enforcement Dismantles VPN Used by Cybercriminals

European law enforcement agencies have reported that they successfully hacked into a virtual private network (VPN) service known as First VPN, which was utilized for ransomware attacks and other criminal activities. The operation led to the identification of thousands of users and the subsequent shutdown of the VPN, along with the arrest of its administrator. Europol announced the details of the operation, which was conducted with the cooperation of authorities from France and the Netherlands, as well as support from Eurojust. The First VPN website now displays a notice indicating that the domain was seized as part of this international law enforcement effort. The agency stated that First VPN had been advertised on Russian-speaking cybercrime forums as a reliable means for criminals to evade law enforcement, offering features such as anonymous payments and hidden infrastructure.