Police Arrested Hundreds of Criminals After Hacking Into Encrypted Chat Network

In a joint operation, European and British law enforcement
agencies recently arrested^[1] hundreds of alleged drug
dealers and other criminals after infiltrating into a global
network of an encrypted chatting app that was used to plot drug
deals, money laundering, extortions, and even murders.

Dubbed EncroChat, the top-secret encrypted communication
app comes pre-installed on a customized Android-based handset with
GPS, camera, and microphone functionality removed for anonymity and
security.

EncroChat phones aim to securely exchange data and messages with
pre-loaded apps for secure instant messaging, VOIP calling, self
destruct messages, and includes a ‘kill code’ functionality to let
users remotely wipe complete data in times of trouble.

The handset and its services, which cost around £1,500 for a
six-month subscription, had 60,000 users worldwide and
approximately 10,000 users in the United Kingdom.

“EncroChat phones were presented to customers as guaranteeing
perfect anonymity (no device or SIM card association on the
customer’s account, acquisition under conditions guaranteeing the
absence of traceability) and perfect discretion both of the
encrypted interface (dual operating system, the encrypted interface
being hidden so as not to be detectable) and the terminal itself
(removal of the camera, microphone, GPS and USB port),” Europol
said.

However, the encrypted communication network was not so secure, as
French and Dutch police successfully hacked into the network and
analyzed millions of messages and hundreds of thousands of images
in real-time, “over the shoulder of the unsuspecting senders.”

International law enforcement authorities successfully
dismantled Encrochat and disrupted one of the key communication
networks used by some of the most severe offenders.

The National Crime
Agency^[2], Europol^[3] and Metropolitan
Police^[4] on Thursday announced
that they shut down the EncroChat servers and arrested 746
suspects, including two law enforcement officers, which resulted in
the seizure of:

• over £54 million in illegal cash,
• 77 firearms, including an AK47 assault rifle, submachine guns,
  handguns, four grenades, and over 1,800 rounds of ammunition
• More than two tonnes of Class A and B drugs
• Over 28 million Etizolam pills (street Valium) from an illicit
  laboratory
• 55 high-value cars, and 73 luxury watches

The NCA also worked closely with policing partners to successfully
mitigate more than 200 threats to life by preventing rival gangs
from carrying out kidnappings and executions on Britain’s streets.

“In early 2020, EncroChat was one of the largest encrypted
digital communication providers with a very high share of users
presumably engaged in criminal activity. User hotspots were
particularly present in source and destination countries for
cocaine and cannabis trade, as well as in money laundering
centers,” Europol said.

Law enforcement agencies claimed to have cracked the encryption
code of EncroChat in March this year and began penetrating data
from April 1. On June 13, EncroChat realized the platform had been
penetrated and sent a message to users urging them to throw away
their devices as its servers had been compromised by law
enforcement.

“A large number of suspects have also been arrested in several
countries which were not participating in the JIT (joint
investigation team) but particularly affected by the illegal use of
these phones by individuals active in organized crime, including in
the UK, Sweden, and Norway,” Europol said.

“The effects of the operation will continue to echo in criminal
circles for many years to come, as the information has been
provided to hundreds of ongoing investigations and, at the same
time, is triggering a very large number of new criminal
investigations of organised crime across the European continent and
beyond.”