<p>International investigators said on Monday they had arrested seven people in global raids targeting cyber criminals behind ransomware attacks worth more than half a million euros.</p>.<p>The arrests were linked to the Russian-based hacker group REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, and the ransomware group GandCrab, the EU police agency Europol said in a statement.</p>.<p>Two people were arrested last Thursday in Romania and another in Kuwait, while three were held South Korea and one in an unspecified European country during the months-long operation dubbed "GoldDust".</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/governments-turn-tables-on-ransomware-gang-revil-by-pushing-it-offline-1042963.html" target="_blank">Governments turn tables on ransomware gang REvil by pushing it offline</a></strong></p>.<p>The global police body Interpol and EU judicial agency Eurojust were also involved in the operation, which involved a total of 17 countries, it said.</p>.<p>"Suspected of about 7,000 infections, the arrested affiliates asked for more than 200 million euros in ransom," the Europol statement said.</p>.<p>The two Romanians alone were responsible for around 5,000 infections which pocketed around half a million euros, it added.</p>.<p>"All these arrests follow the joint international law enforcement efforts of identification, wiretapping and seizure of some of the infrastructure used by Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware family," it said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/business/technology/2022-to-see-large-scale-data-breaches-malware-on-mobile-phone-to-grow-check-point-1044561.html" target="_blank">2022 to see large scale data breaches, malware on mobile phone to grow: Check Point</a></strong></p>.<p>Ransomware is an increasingly lucrative form of digital hostage-taking in which hackers encrypt victims' data and then demand money for restored access.</p>.<p>REvil, a group of Russian-speaking hackers, are prolific perpetrators blamed for a series of high-profile cyberattacks. It is said to be a successor organisation of GandCrab.</p>.<p>But questions about its fate emerged in July when REvil's "dark web" page disappeared two weeks after an attack which crippled hundreds of companies worldwide.</p>.<p>The shutdown sparked speculation about whether the move was the result of government-led action.</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest videos from <i data-stringify-type="italic">DH</i>:</strong></p>
<p>International investigators said on Monday they had arrested seven people in global raids targeting cyber criminals behind ransomware attacks worth more than half a million euros.</p>.<p>The arrests were linked to the Russian-based hacker group REvil, also known as Sodinokibi, and the ransomware group GandCrab, the EU police agency Europol said in a statement.</p>.<p>Two people were arrested last Thursday in Romania and another in Kuwait, while three were held South Korea and one in an unspecified European country during the months-long operation dubbed "GoldDust".</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/governments-turn-tables-on-ransomware-gang-revil-by-pushing-it-offline-1042963.html" target="_blank">Governments turn tables on ransomware gang REvil by pushing it offline</a></strong></p>.<p>The global police body Interpol and EU judicial agency Eurojust were also involved in the operation, which involved a total of 17 countries, it said.</p>.<p>"Suspected of about 7,000 infections, the arrested affiliates asked for more than 200 million euros in ransom," the Europol statement said.</p>.<p>The two Romanians alone were responsible for around 5,000 infections which pocketed around half a million euros, it added.</p>.<p>"All these arrests follow the joint international law enforcement efforts of identification, wiretapping and seizure of some of the infrastructure used by Sodinokibi/REvil ransomware family," it said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/business/technology/2022-to-see-large-scale-data-breaches-malware-on-mobile-phone-to-grow-check-point-1044561.html" target="_blank">2022 to see large scale data breaches, malware on mobile phone to grow: Check Point</a></strong></p>.<p>Ransomware is an increasingly lucrative form of digital hostage-taking in which hackers encrypt victims' data and then demand money for restored access.</p>.<p>REvil, a group of Russian-speaking hackers, are prolific perpetrators blamed for a series of high-profile cyberattacks. It is said to be a successor organisation of GandCrab.</p>.<p>But questions about its fate emerged in July when REvil's "dark web" page disappeared two weeks after an attack which crippled hundreds of companies worldwide.</p>.<p>The shutdown sparked speculation about whether the move was the result of government-led action.</p>.<p><strong>Check out the latest videos from <i data-stringify-type="italic">DH</i>:</strong></p>