European police, FBI bust international cybercrime gang

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — German police say they have disrupted a ransomware-sowing international cybercrime gang which has been blackmailing large companies and institutions for years. Police in Duesseldorf said Monday that, working with partners including Europol, the FBI and authorities in Ukraine, they were able to identify 11 individuals linked to a group that has operated in various guises since at least 2010. Among its most prominent victims was Duesseldorf University Hospital, whose computers were infected with so-called ransomware known as DoppelPaymer in 2020. A woman who needed urgent treatment died after she had to be taken to another city for treatment. German said at least 601 victims have been identified worldwide, including 37 in Germany.