Suspect linked to Russian language cybercrime forum arrested in Ukraine

PHOTO CAPTION: Illustrative photo of a K9 Handler from the Security Service of Ukraine, also known as the SBU. (Undated photo via Atlantic Council)

PARIS  -  A person suspected of being the administrator for the Russian language cybercriminal forum XSS.is was arrested in Ukraine this week, the French public prosecutor's office and the pan-European police body Europol said on Wednesday.

Europol said the suspect - whose name has not been given - was thought to have earned more than 7 million euros ($8.20 million) via the forum.

"The forum's administrator was not only a technical operator but is believed to have played a central role in enabling criminal activity," a Europol statement said.

"Acting as a trusted third party, he arbitrated disputes between criminals and guaranteed the security of transactions. He is also believed to have run thesecure.biz, a private messaging service tailored to the needs of the cybercriminal underground," it added.

Europol said the cybercrime forum had more than 50,000 registered users and served as a key marketplace for stolen data, hacking tools and other illegal services.

The suspect was arrested in Kyiv on Tuesday in a police operation involving Ukrainian authorities, according to French police and Europol.

($1 = 0.8536 euros)

 (Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Dominique Vidalon; editing by Mark Heinrich // REUTERS)