Moving forward
Our research started to reveal just how big and professional the operation was. The platform had regular software release cycles, new feature announcements, installation guides and support, and complete bookkeeping of those purchasing and using the software.
In January 2024 we compiled a report that detailed all our findings, and shared it with several law enforcement agencies.
Early on in the project we made a conscious decision to focus on the big picture. We did some research on smishing attacks early on, and most of the work up until then had been technical in nature, focusing on the latest software they used, or the newest techniques to send messages. We knew that the most likely outcome of repeating that type of work would be the group learning from their mistakes, and us driving them further underground.
To address and counteract the issue of smishing, phishing, and scams in general requires attention from different sections of society. Financial institutions, mobile network operators, big tech, law enforcement agencies, and the general public all have their part to play. For this reason, we decided to reach out to NRK, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, to see if they would be interested in our discoveries.
We shared our findings up until that point, and continued our research. The answer to the biggest question remained unanswered. Who was Darcula?