Recently, under the leadership of Major General Dai Rong, the head of the Technology Crime Investigation Bureau, Thai police launched an international crime crackdown operation named "PHOBOS AETOR". This operation targeted four locations on Phuket Island and successfully arrested four foreign hackers suspected of using malicious software to carry out extortion.
At these locations, the police searched the residences suspected of criminal activities and seized more than 40 electronic devices, including mobile phones, laptops, and digital wallets.
Major General Dai Rong stated that this case originated from international cooperation. With the collaboration of Interpol, the United States and Switzerland requested Thailand's assistance in verifying and collecting evidence related to four European suspects. Investigations revealed that these suspects are suspected of forming an international criminal group and carried out extortion attacks on 17 companies in Switzerland, causing significant economic losses.
During the case, the suspects used the malicious software Phobos to infiltrate the networks of victim companies and demanded ransom through encrypting files, asking for digital currency as the decryption key. If the victims refused to pay, the suspects threatened via email or phone to publicize or sell the victims' data.
In addition to the extortion attacks, the suspects also used a "Mixing Service" to obscure their transactions on the blockchain, hindering tracking. Investigations showed that over 1000 victims worldwide suffered losses, totaling more than 16 million US dollars (approximately 560 million Thai Baht).
Based on this crucial clue, the police decided to further investigate and eventually discovered that the suspects were hiding on Phuket Island. The police, in collaboration with the immigration police and the 8th Police District, conducted a raid and successfully arrested the four foreign suspects and seized a large amount of crime tools.
