A central figure in the Ragnar Locker ransomware group responsible for a string of cyberattacks around the world was arrested after a joint police investigation involving 11 countries, including Japan.
The dark website where the group published information stolen from its victims was also shut down.
The suspect, a Czech resident, is believed to be a ransomware developer, according to an Oct. 21 announcement by Europol, which led the investigation.
Ragnar Locker orchestrated cyberattacks targeting infrastructure and businesses such as hospitals and airlines since 2019.
Victims included video game developer Capcom Co. and other Japanese companies, according to the National Police Agency.
The investigation team consisting of law enforcement and judicial authorities arrested two people believed to be senior Ragnar Locker members in Ukraine in 2021.
The NPA, which joined the investigation in autumn 2021, has provided computer server data analyzed by the agency’s National Cyber Unit.
In a 2020 cyberattack against Capcom, private information was likely leaked of up to 390,000 people, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers.
Ragnar Locker claimed responsibility, and Capcom documents on video game development were exposed on the group’s website.
