EncroChat
 | |
| Industry | Computer software |
|---|---|
| Founded | c. 2016  |
| Defunct | June 2020 |
| Headquarters | Holland |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Website | encro.co |
EncroChat was a mobile phone based communications network and service provider, allegedly used to plan a number of criminal activities, that was infiltrated by police in early 2020 in a Europe-wide investigation[1]. The company has ceased to operate since, citing their inability to operate securely.[2]
Infiltration
The EncroChat service was available for Android and Blackberry handsets, and is offered by a Dutch company. GPS, camera and microphone functions are disabled on these handsets.[3] It was reported in June 2020 to cost ₤1,500 for a six month contract to belong to the service.[4] The same month, the service had 10,000 users in the UK alone.[1] The handsets reportedly used the BQ Aquaris X2 chipset, and ran two side-by-side instances of the operating system: one innocent for public view, and one with privacy features enabled. EncroChat featured a custom messaging app which routed messages through a central server. A "panic button" feature was available and when a certain PIN was input to the device to the unlock screen the computer would erase the userspace data.[5]
The encrypted messaging system was discovered by the French Gendarmerie in 2017, along with the related phones when conducting operations against organized crime gangs.[6] In December 2018, it was reported that the hitman who killed Paul Massey and John Kinsella used an EncroChat phone.[7][8]
Britain's National Crime Agency began work to attempt to infiltrate the network in 2016[9], later the French National Gendarmerie joined efforts in 2017 and a joint investigation team was formed with the Dutch police in April 2020.[10] Intelligence and technical expertise from the National Crime Agency allowed the National Gendarmerie and Dutch police to access messages by putting "a technical device in place" on EncroChat's servers in France.[11][12][1] This data was distributed by Europol and the National Crime Agency built data analysis technology to automatically "identify and locate offenders by analysing millions of messages and hundreds of thousands of images".[13][5]
Once they suspected the infiltration had occurred, the people who managed EncroChat broadcast to users that "You are advised to power off and physically dispose your device immediately."[14] Another report had the 12 June broadcast as "We can no longer guarantee the security of your device. We advise you to power off and physically dispose of your device immediately."[15]
EncroChat later informed Vice News that it was shutting down permanently "following several attacks carried out by a foreign organization that seems to originate in the UK."[2]
Messages allegedly sent on the EncroChat service had previously claimed that law enforcement had taken over part of the network's infrastructure.[7] Europol and the National Crime Agency refused to comment at the time.[16]
Impact
Operation Venetic
Operation Venetic[14] is the name of national response by the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency. As a result of the infiltration of the network, UK police arrested 746 individuals, including major crime bosses, intercepted two tonnes of drugs, and seized £54 million in criminal cash.[1] More than 28m tablets of the sedative Etizolam were seized.[14] Corrupt law enforcement officers were also caught in the dragnet.[14] Many weapons were also confiscated, including sub-machine guns, handguns, grenades, an AK47 assault rifle, and over 1,800 rounds of ammunition.[17][18]
References
- ^ a b c d Shaw, Danny (2 July 2020). "Hundreds arrested as crime chat network cracked". BBC News. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ a b Cox, Joseph. "VICE - Senator Wyden Wants Congress to Investigate Which Local Cops Have Hacking Tools". Vice News. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Cook, James (2 July 2020). "How EncroChat became the go-to messaging service for gangsters". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Dearden, Lizzle (2 July 2020). "More than 700 arrested in 'biggest ever' UK operation against organised crime after encrypted phone network cracked". The Independent. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Euro police forces infiltrated encrypted phone biz – and now 'criminal' EncroChat users are being rounded up". The Register. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "EncroChat: What it is, who was running it, and how did criminals get their encrypted phones?". Sky News. 2 July 2020.
- ^ a b Cox, Joseph. "Texts Claim Hack of Encrypted Phone Company Used by Hitmen". Motherboard.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "John Kinsella and Paul Massey murder suspects had "extremely expensive" encrypted phones". Phoneweek. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Evans, Martin (2 July 2020). "Hundreds of gangsters arrested as police crack criminals' private messaging network". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "Hundreds arrested across Europe as French police crack encrypted network". www.ft.com. FT. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Jowitt, Tom (2 July 2020). "Police 'Crack' EncroChat Encryption". Silicon UK.
- ^ "EncroChat: What it is, who was running it, and how did criminals get their encrypted phones?". Sky News. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ "What is Encrochat, the encrypted network infiltrated by law enforcement?". Verdict. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d Dodd, Vikram (2 July 2020). "Hundreds arrested as UK organised crime network is cracked". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ Evans, Martin (2 July 2020). "Hundreds of gangsters arrested as police crack criminals' private messaging network". Telegraph Media Group Limited.
- ^ Cox, Joseph (2 July 2020). "How Police Secretly Took Over a Global Phone Network for Organised Crime". Motherboard. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
- ^ CNN, Emma Reynolds. "Hundreds arrested after police infiltrate secret criminal phone network". CNN. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ "Operation Venetic: More than 50 arrests in 'unprecedented' crime raids". BBC News. 2 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.