Wed Sep 18 02:32:08 UTC 2024: ## Australian Police Bust Encrypted Crime Platform ‘Ghost’ in Major Operation

**CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA** – Australian Federal Police (AFP) have successfully dismantled a sophisticated encrypted communication platform known as “Ghost,” used by criminal gangs to orchestrate violent acts, launder money, and traffic illicit drugs.

The AFP, after infiltrating the platform earlier this year, conducted a supply chain attack on Ghost, allowing them to access encrypted messages and data from thousands of users. This led to a coordinated raid across four Australian states, resulting in the arrest of 38 individuals, the seizure of 25 illegal weapons, and the interception of 200 kilograms of illicit drugs.

The AFP alleges that Ghost, which was sold with a modified smartphone for around AU$2350 ($1,600), was used by hundreds of criminals, including members of Italian Organized Crime, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and Korean Organized Crime, to facilitate illegal activities both domestically and internationally.

The operation, codenamed “Kraken,” involved a targeted attack on Ghost’s software updates, allowing the AFP to effectively “infect” the devices and monitor the platform’s users. This operation is a testament to the AFP’s ongoing efforts to combat encrypted crime, highlighting the agency’s ability to penetrate even the most secure communication networks.

“We allege hundreds of criminals, including Italian Organized Crime, outlaw motorcycle gang members, Middle Eastern Organized Crime and Korean Organized Crime have used Ghost in Australia and overseas to import illicit drugs and order killings,” declared AFP deputy commissioner Ian McCartney.

Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle echoed the sentiment: “Today we have made it clear that no matter how hidden criminal networks think they are, they can’t evade our collective effort.”

This operation marks another successful blow against encrypted criminal networks, building on the AFP’s history of cracking secure apps and even creating backdoored applications to infiltrate criminal communities.

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