Key Takeaways:
– A 32-year-old Australian computer programmer has been apprehended for building Ghost, a coded messaging app reportedly used by global criminals.
– Police agencies from nine countries collaborated in a sting operation that led to multiple arrests across Italy, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, and Australia.
– Over $1.1 million in cash, weapons, and drugs have been seized by authorities.
– Thousands of people worldwide used Ghost, and around 1,000 messages were exchanged daily on the app, says Europol.
– The application’s creator, based in New South Wales, Australia, was charged with five offenses, including supporting a criminal organization.
An Arrest that Sent Shock Waves Across the Digital Underworld
Authorities in The Hague reported on Wednesday that a world-renowned “computer geek” from Australia was taken into custody on allegations of creating Ghost – an encrypted messaging app. According to the Australian Federal Police, the application was promoted as “unhackable” and adopted by hundreds of suspected criminals in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia for coordinating criminal activities, which included drug trades and contract killings.
A Global Effort to Combat Global Crime
European Union policing agency Europol’s executive director Catherine De Bolle admitted that this wasn’t a local case. She highlighted that law enforcement agencies from nine countries came together for this international sting operation. “Our collective effort made it clear that no criminal network is beyond our reach, no matter how hidden they think they are,” De Bolle insists.
Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, Europol’s deputy executive director, described the operation as a “global game of cat and mouse.” He announced the game over at a press conference at agency’s headquarters in The Hague. In addition to the arrests, authorities brought down an Australian drug lab and confiscated weapons, drugs, and cash worth over $1.1 million.
Ghost: The Criminal App of Choice
The Ghost application, functioning as a specialized, encrypted version of WhatsApp for criminals, was created nine years prior. To use the app, criminals required modified smartphones that sold for about Aus$2,350 (US$1,590). The hefty price included a six-month subscription to the Ghost app and a mandatory continuation of the subscription.
Although the application’s creator frequently rolled out software updates, the Australian police managed to exploit these updates to gain access to encrypted content in 2022. Over the next two years, the authorities kept a close eye on Ghost, watching its popularity increase among criminals. During this period, the app recorded around 1,000 messages a day, out of which 50 were death threats which Australian police managed to prevent.
A Variable Customer Base
Europol noted that Ghost had several thousand users worldwide, with 376 phones equipped with the Ghost app found in Australia alone. Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner Kirsty Schofield revealed an incident where the police intercepted an image of a gun pointed at someone’s head and managed to save the potential victim within the hour.
Wrapping Up a Criminal Operation
French police assisted Australian law enforcement in tracking down the creator of Ghost. This collaborative effort led to the arrest of the creator, a man who lived at home with his parents and had no previous criminal record. His primary motivation, according to authorities, was profit, not criminal activity.
Upon his arrest, the man was charged with five offenses, including supporting a criminal organisation, and faces up to three years of imprisonment. He was denied bail at his first Sydney court appearance and remains under custody. Alongside him, 38 others across Australia were also taken into custody in connection with the case.
This case serves as a stark warning that encrypted communication isn’t entirely safe from legal authorities. As previous network takedowns like ANOM have shown, law enforcement agencies worldwide continue their efforts to combat online criminal activity. With collaborative international efforts, encrypted apps become less of a safe haven for criminals and more of a trap set by law enforcement.