Europol Cracks Down on The Com’s Ransomware Networks
▼ Summary
– Law enforcement from 28 countries has targeted The Com, a decentralized network of young people linked to ransomware, extortion, and child coercion.
– Europol’s Project Compass has resulted in 30 arrests and the identification of 179 perpetrators, while also safeguarding four victims.
– The Com operates across social media and online platforms to recruit and exploit youth, with a structure that makes it difficult to disrupt.
– The network has developed ties to extremist groups and cybercriminal gangs, with some offshoots running sextortion campaigns against teenagers.
– Project Compass is a coordinated international effort, using a shared intelligence network to allow partner nations to collaborate on investigations and prevention.
A major international law enforcement effort has successfully disrupted a dangerous cybercrime network, leading to multiple arrests and the protection of victims. Europol has announced the first significant results from Project Compass, a coordinated initiative targeting a decentralized criminal collective known as The Com. This group, largely composed of teenagers and young adults, has been linked to serious ransomware attacks, financial extortion schemes, and the exploitation of minors. Since the project began in early 2025, authorities across 28 nations have made 30 arrests and fully or partially identified 179 individuals involved. Investigators have also pinpointed up to 62 victims, successfully safeguarding four of them from further harm.
The Com represents a modern and elusive threat, operating through the very platforms where young people socialize. The group recruits, radicalizes, and exploits members across social media, encrypted messaging apps, online gaming networks, and music streaming services. This decentralized model, without a clear command hierarchy, has historically made such networks challenging for law enforcement to dismantle. Intelligence suggests the collective has forged connections with violent extremist organizations and Russian cybercriminal gangs over time. Certain factions within The Com have honed particularly malicious tactics, starting with sextortion campaigns targeting their peers before advancing to sophisticated corporate ransomware attacks.
Project Compass functions as a unified front against this borderless threat. Coordinated by Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre, the operation creates a powerful alliance. It brings together all European Union member states with international partners including the Five Eyes nations, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, plus Norway and Switzerland. Key agencies like the U.S. FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, alongside the UK’s National Crime Agency and Counter Terrorism Policing, are integral participants. The initiative is built on a shared intelligence platform that allows specialized units from each country to collaborate seamlessly on investigations.
Beyond reactive casework, the project focuses on prevention and intelligence consolidation. Partner nations actively exchange guidance on thwarting these crimes and conduct focused “data sprints” to rapidly pool information on active threats. This proactive, collaborative approach is designed to stay ahead of the criminals. Anna Sjöberg, head of Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre, emphasized the necessity of this global cooperation. She stated that Project Compass enables earlier intervention to protect victims and disrupt those who weaponize vulnerability for extremist goals. “No country can address this threat alone,” Sjöberg noted, “and through this cooperation, we are closing the gaps they try to hide in.”
(Source: HelpNet Security)
