Global Cybercrime Roundup: Telegram Increases Blocks, Coupang Investigation Reveals More, Spain and the US Arrest Hackers
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Key Takeaways
- Telegram's role: Analysis of over 800 blocked channels reveals that the median lifespan of a shadow Telegram channel has increased to nine months.
- DOJ takedown: A ninth member of Social Engineering Enterprise pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy charges for laundering stolen funds.
- International arrests: A man was arrested in Spain stealing 64 million records, while Coupang's headquarters in South Korea were raided in a data breach investigation.
Recent research highlights Telegram's continued use as a platform for underground cybercriminal activities, but heavy blockings are weakening the ill-intented use. Meanwhile, authorities in Spain arrested a 19-year-old hacker for allegedly stealing and attempting to sell 64 million records, and South Korean police raided Coupang's headquarters as part of their data breach investigation.
Also, a ninth member of the "Social Engineering Enterprise," a group accused of stealing over $263 million in cryptocurrency, has pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy charges for laundering stolen funds.
Telegram Blocks Push Cybercriminals Out
An analysis of over 800 blocked Telegram cybercrime channels between 2021 and 2024 shows a significant increase in their operational lifespan. Despite not offering default end-to-end encryption or decentralized infrastructure, the platform's features are heavily exploited for dark market business.
While channel blocks have become more frequent since October 2024, causing some cybercriminals to migrate, the median lifespan of these illicit channels has risen from five months to nine months.
This indicates a persistent operational environment for threat actors, according to a recent report from SecureList by Kaspersky.
DOJ Dismantles Social Engineering Enterprise
In the United States, the Department of Justice continues its crackdown on the Social Engineering Enterprise, a criminal organization specializing in cryptocurrency theft. The enterprise is known for accessing databases of crypto holders and using social engineering to steal funds, with one victim losing over $263 million.
A 22-year-old California resident became the ninth individual to plead guilty in connection with the group. Evan Tangeman of Newport Beach, California, admitted to laundering millions in stolen crypto and securing luxury properties for the gang.
A superseding indictment has also been unsealed, charging three more members, Nicholas Dellecave, also known as “Nic,” and “Souja,” Mustafa Ibrahim, also known as “Krust,” and Danish Zulfiqar, also known as “Danny,” and “Meech,” following recent arrests in Miami and Dubai.
Global Law Enforcement Actions: Coupang and Spain Hacker
International authorities have also reported significant progress in combating cybercrime. In Spain, the National Police arrested a 19-year-old in Barcelona for allegedly stealing and attempting to sell 64 million private records from nine different companies. The stolen data included full names, addresses, and financial information.
Meanwhile, the Coupang data breach investigation in South Korea has intensified, with police raiding the e-commerce giant's headquarters, seized data and devices. The probe focuses on a former employee suspected of using a privileged-access encryption key impersonating a Coupang customer to compromise 33.7 million customer accounts.
In September, another teenager was arrested for hacking the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party and advertising 10GB of data on the dark web.
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