14 DAY TRIAL // Numerous suspects were arrested across Europe after a joint Europol and Eurojust operation that specifically targeted users who bought and used the DroidJack malware.
DroidJack is an RAT (Remote Access Trojan) that can be used to infect Android smartphones and allow attackers to take over the phone and then steal or record data without the victim noticing it.
It is one of the most recent Android RATs that have appeared on the market, and its low cost and graphical user interface allow even non-technical users to buy it and deploy it on their selected targets.
At this moment, DroidJack's price is of $210 / €190, which is well inside the comfort zone of any EU citizen. In the past, there were documented cases where spouses deployed DroidJack to spy on their consorts.
A recent research released only a few days ago by Recorded Future also shows that DroidJack is also one of the hottest Android RATs on the market, particularly in the Middle East region.
Raids were carried out in six countries, five in Europe
According to Europol's announcement, raids to apprehend DroidJack users were executed in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France, and Belgium. US law enforcement also contributed to the operation by arresting US citizens based on the data shared with Europol.
While in the past police went after the criminal groups that created and sold these tools, this time around, law enforcement targeted the people who bought them.
According to police statements, there was no connection between the individuals arrested.
The BBC reports that over 13 raids were carried out in Germany and that people between the ages of 19 and 51 were taken into custody.
Arresting DroidJack buyers may be a good solution for deterring others from buying the RAT and helping finance the authors' criminal activities.