Police in Europe allege that a 16-year-old is the leader of a ransomware group called KillSec, which tried to extort hundreds of businesses and organizations.
Europol says the investigation also led to the shutdown of the KillSec site on the dark web, which has since been replaced with a seizure notice.
“The alleged administrator and main operator is 16 years old,” Europol said. Investigators also identified another teenager who turned 18 last month as a KillSec developer. A third suspect was identified as a negotiator for the group, while a fourth acted as an “affiliate,” or a buyer who leased access to KillSec’s ransomware attacks.
According to Europol, “Authorities carried out eight house searches in Spain, Greece, Romania, and the United Kingdom, made three provisional arrests, and seized evidence and assets.” The FBI also participated, and said “at least 110 terabytes of data” was seized, protecting it from further criminal acess.
In addition, Justice Department named one of the arrested suspects as “Fouad Eltibrizi (a/k/a Archduke),” a Dutch national, who was nabbed on Wednesday in the UK. The US is preparing to extradite him to face computer hacking charges. “If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison,” the department said. His age was left unclear.
Still, the investigation underscores a persistent trend of teenagers fueling cybercrime, prompting efforts to steer youngsters away from hacking for profit.
Europol alleges that KillSec, active since 2024, is behind 1,000 suspected cyberattacks, about half of which were successful. The group is known for infiltrating companies by exploiting software vulnerabilities or server misconfigurations to breach IT networks and then spreading ransomware to encrypt computers.
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The group also uses “double extortion” to steal sensitive information from their targets. “Victims were named on the group’s dark web leak site and threatened with publication of their data unless paid. Where a victim did not pay, the stolen files could be made available for free download,” Europol added.
The authorities began investigating the group early last year, leading to the seizure of five key servers. “Investigators also uncovered how the group used AI to build and operate its ransomware infrastructure and to identify potential victims,” police in Germany said.
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Michael Kan
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I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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