$47M in Crypto Frozen in Global Infostealer Takedown: Europol
Police disrupted SocGholish, Amadey, and StealC, malware that harvests crypto wallets and passwords, freezing €41 million in crypto.
European law enforcement authorities have frozen approximately €41 million (roughly $47 million) in cryptocurrency following a coordinated international crackdown on infostealer malware networks. Europol announced the operation targeted three prominent malware strains — SocGholish, Amadey, and StealC — which were actively used by cybercriminals to harvest crypto wallet credentials, passwords, and other sensitive financial data from infected devices worldwide.
Infostealer malware represents one of the more persistent threats in the cybercrime landscape, designed to silently extract login credentials and wallet keys from compromised systems before transmitting stolen data to criminal operators. SocGholish, Amadey, and StealC have each been documented extensively by cybersecurity researchers, with their infrastructure frequently linked to underground markets where stolen credentials are bought and sold. The campaigns often rely on deceptive websites and malicious downloads to gain initial access to victim machines.
The operation underscores the growing exposure of retail and institutional crypto holders to credential-based theft, a vector that bypasses blockchain-level security entirely by targeting user devices. For the broader crypto industry, the takedown highlights the ongoing vulnerability of self-custody solutions when device security is compromised, reinforcing calls for hardware wallet adoption and multi-factor authentication practices.
Europol has not disclosed the number of arrests made or the specific jurisdictions involved in the operation, details that are expected to emerge as legal proceedings advance in participating countries.
Source: Decrypt
