Dutch authorities arrest two in connection with sanctioned web hosting company

Financial crime investigators in the Netherlands arrested two men and seized 800 servers linked to a web hosting company that allegedly facilitated cyberattacks, interference operations, and disinformation campaigns. The investigation centers on Stark Industries, a web hosting firm founded shortly before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to a recent report by Bleeping Computer.

The Dutch financial crime investigators (FIOD) arrested a 57-year-old company director and a 39-year-old who headed a separate firm providing internet connectivity. Authorities stated that the suspects indirectly provided economic resources to Russian and Belarusian entities sanctioned by the European Union. Stark Industries was added to the EU's sanctions list last year, after which its infrastructure was allegedly transferred to a new Dutch company, WorkTitans B.V. (operating as THE.Hosting), believed to be a front for the sanctioned entities.

The FIOD raids in data centers and other locations resulted in the seizure of 800 servers, laptops, phones, and administrative records. WorkTitans has been linked by Danish authorities to attacks by the pro-Russian hacktivist group NoName057(16), known for distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks. Mirhosting, which provided connectivity, denied knowingly supporting illegal operations.

Source: Bleeping Computer