In recent days, the cyber security world has witnessed one of the most effective and coordinated operations against cyber criminals. Codenamed Endgame, authorities from seven countries – including Germany, France, the US and Canada – carried out an international operation that led to the shutdown of more than 300 servers, the neutralisation of 650 domains and the issuing of 20 international arrest warrants.
The scale of the operation is impressive – a follow-up to 2024, which was already considered the biggest ever hit on botnet infrastructure. A total of €21.2 million was seized, including €3.5 million in cryptocurrencies in the final phase. This time, the targets were so-called malware initial access – malicious software used to first break into victims’ systems. It is this that paves the way for the next stages of attacks, such as the installation of ransomware.
It is worth noting that the operation did not end with a one-off hit. The authorities are announcing a follow-up and investigation with the support of a dedicated international platform. German services have already placed eighteen suspects on the European Union’s most wanted list.
What does this mean for the cyber security market?
Firstly: there is a clear increase in the operational capabilities of Western countries in the field of cybercrime. Intercontinental coordination, swift action and the ability to act simultaneously on multiple fronts is a response to long-standing criticism of the services’ passivity towards criminals operating from secure, often post-Soviet locations.
Second: Operation Endgame may change the way one thinks about cyber defence. Until now, the dominant approach has been defensive – protecting one’s own infrastructure and responding after an incident. Now there is a shift towards proactively eliminating the sources of the threat – including beyond the borders of victim countries.
Finally: it will be interesting to observe how this new dynamic will affect the security services market – from cyber insurance to threat intelligence solutions. The effectiveness of operations may reduce the pressure on companies, but at the same time increase the expectations of their active participation in identifying threats.
Endgame is not the end, but signals a shift in the global digital security game.
