Ukrainian cyberpolice officers help neutralize intl hacker network BlackSuit
Operatives of the cyberpolice department joined an international police operation codenamed Checkmate, during which they stopped the activities of the BlackSuit cybercriminal group, which specializes in distributing ransomware, the National Police of Ukraine report.
As noted, the operation was carried out in cooperation with the US Homeland Security Service, the Dutch National Police, the German Criminal Police Office, the UK National Crime Agency, the Frankfurt Prosecutor General's Office, the US Department of Justice, Europol, as well as with the participation of law enforcement agencies of other countries and the Romanian cybersecurity company Bitdefender.
As part of the operation, law enforcement officers coordinated the shutdown of the BlackSuit cybercrime network, in particular, confiscating its websites in one of the domain zones.
The BlackSuit group is a financially motivated cybercrime group specializing in the distribution of ransomware.
Ukrainian cyber police tracked that the group repeatedly changed its name: from January 2022 it operated as Quantum, later as Royal (2022–2023), from 2023 - as BlackSuit, and from 2025 - under the name Chaos.
The attackers developed malicious software that encrypts user data using combinations of algorithms. After that, they demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency for decrypting the data and not distributing the stolen information.
The total amount of ransom demands declared on behalf of the group exceeded $500 million. At the same time, the largest one-time amount was $60 million.
The targets for cyberattacks were mainly commercial and public structures outside the CIS countries, in particular in the USA, Europe and Japan.
Criminal proceedings were initiated under Part 5 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (unauthorized interference in the operation of information (automated), electronic communication, information and communication systems, electronic communication networks).
The article provides for up to 15 years of imprisonment.
