Other private platforms that supported law enforcement to bring down the platform included Chainalysis, Intel 471, Microsoft, The Shadowserver Foundation, and Trend Micro.
The 37 arrests, that were made in Essex and London, as well as Manchester and Luton airports, included searching of 70 addresses in the UK and across the world, according to the statement.
On disruption, the existing information on the site was pulled down and replaced with a notice that said law enforcement had seized the service.
Operations targeted at least 70,000 victims
After setting up shop in 2021, LabHost gained prominence, creating about 40000 fraudulent websites for phishing and picking up 2000 subscriptions by the beginning of 2024. Users paid a monthly subscription fee that ranged between $249 (£200) and $373 (£300) a month for a “WorldWide” membership that allowed targeting victims globally.
According to the statement, LabHost has received just under $1,173,000 (£1 million) from subscriptions, hinting most of the users registered in late 2023 or early 2024.
Many users have been arrested in this week’s takedown, while a significant other was warned of an imminent arrest. “Shortly after the platform was disrupted, 800 users received a message telling them we know who they are and what they’ve been doing,” Met added. “We’ve shown them we know how much they’ve paid to LabHost, how many different sites they’ve accessed, and how many lines of data they’ve received.”
