Read also: Suspected admin of Russian-speaking cybercrime forum XSS arrested in Ukraine, IT expert behind Bulgaria’s largest-ever data breaches gets suspended prison sentence, and more.

Views: 2.9k Read Time: 4 min.

Former UK’s National Crime Agency Intelligence Officer Sentenced to 5 Years and 6 Months in Prison

Former NCA officer jailed for stealing Bitcoin from Silk Road 2.0 seizure

A former UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) intelligence officer has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison after stealing Bitcoin seized during an investigation into the notorious Dark Web marketplace Silk Road 2.0.

Paul Chowles, 42, took advantage of his access to sensitive case material while working on the 2014 investigation into the operator of the illegal online market, Thomas White. White was arrested following the FBI’s shutdown of the original Silk Road, known for facilitating the sale of illegal drugs, in 2013.

Chowles stole 50 Bitcoin from a “retirement wallet” belonging to White and attempted to conceal the theft by laundering the funds through the Bitcoin Fog cryptocurrency mixing service. At the time of the theft in May 2017, the Bitcoin was worth nearly £60,000 (about $80,000), though its value has since soared to over £4 million. Chowles pleaded guilty to theft, transferring criminal property, and concealing criminal property. Prosecutors revealed that he had realized approximately £145,000 from the stolen cryptocurrency.

The NCA initially believed White had accessed his wallet and moved the missing Bitcoin. However, an investigation was launched after White denied responsibility. Evidence, including login credentials linked to White’s crypto accounts, was later discovered in notebooks belonging to Chowles during his 2022 arrest.

This is not the first time when a law enforcement officer was charged over the Bitcoin theft linked to Dark Web marketplaces. In October 2015, former undercover DEA agent Carl Force was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for stealing $700,000 worth of Bitcoin. While investigating Silk Road, Force posed as a drug dealer under the alias ‘Nob’ to contact the site's founder, Ross Ulbricht. He later sold Ulbricht information about the investigation.

Two months later, in December 2015, former US Secret Service agent Shaun Bridges was given a six-year prison sentence for stealing $820,000 worth of Bitcoin while investigating Silk Road. Between 2012 and 2014, Bridges served on the Baltimore Silk Road Task Force, a multi-agency team targeting illegal activities on the platform. While conducting forensic investigations, Bridges illegally accessed the site and transferred funds to his own accounts.

Ironically, in January 2025, US president Donald Trump granted a full and unconditional pardon to Ross Ulbricht, who was convicted in 2015 in New York on charges related to narcotics distribution and money laundering and was sentenced to life in prison.

Suspected admin of Russian-speaking cybercrime forum XSS arrested in Ukraine

On July 22, authorities in Kyiv apprehended the suspected administrator of xss.is, one of the most influential and notorious Russian-speaking cybercrime forums.

The identity of the suspect has not been officially disclosed. According to the authorities, he was a key player in running xss.is, which has over 50,000 registered users. The platform was a hub for trading stolen data, malicious software, hacking tools, and a range of illicit cyber services. It functioned not only as a bazaar for criminal transactions but also as a tightly regulated ecosystem that provided a measure of “trust” between bad actors.

Investigators report that the suspect acted as an arbitrator on the forum, mediating disputes between cybercriminals to ensure that deals were honored. He also allegedly operated thesecure.biz, a secure, private messaging platform custom-built for discreet communications.

The suspect is believed to have earned over €7 million, primarily through advertising revenues and facilitation fees collected from transactions and services on the forum.

IT expert responsible for one of Bulgaria’s largest-ever data breaches receives suspended prison sentence

A computer specialist accused of orchestrating one of Bulgaria’s largest-ever data breaches has received a suspended nine-month prison sentence with three years' probation under a plea deal approved by the Sofia City Court.

Kristiyan Boykov was convicted in connection with the 2019 cyberattack on the National Revenue Agency (NRA), which compromised the personal data of millions of Bulgarians. As part of the deal, Boykov must also pay over BGN 13,000 in legal fees.

The plea agreement follows years of legal delays, procedural missteps, and multiple failed attempts to start trial proceedings. An earlier plea deal proposing a BGN 2,500 fine was rejected by the court, leading to revised charges and a new agreement.

Boykov was initially charged with terrorism, and later with crimes against the Republic, after authorities alleged that the breach was intended to incite public fear and unrest. Originally handled by the now-defunct Specialized Prosecution Office, the investigation spanned over four years and was repeatedly returned for correction of procedural errors before finally advancing to court.

South Korean authorities arrest three in celebrity flight data leak case

South Korean police have arrested and charged three individuals, including an employee of a foreign airline, for allegedly leaking and selling the private flight information of major celebrities, including K-pop superstars BTS.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s cyber investigation unit, the suspects were involved in illegally accessing internal airline databases to obtain travel details of high-profile figures. The information was then sold to fans eager to board the same flights as their favorite stars.

The airline employee, arrested in February, is accused of passing the data to two accomplices, who were taken into custody in March. Investigators say the information was distributed via social media direct messages and open chat rooms. The suspects reportedly earned tens of millions of won through the illegal sales.

Authorities launched the investigation after months of monitoring suspicious online activity related to celebrity travel.

Get a Demo

ImmuniWeb can help you to prevent data breaches and meet regulatory requirements.

ATM fraud gang dismantled in joint Romania-UK operation

An organized Romanian criminal network responsible for large-scale ATM fraud across Western Europe has been dismantled following a coordinated law enforcement operation involving Romania and the UK, with support from Europol and Eurojust.

The gang had operated primarily in the UK after traveling from Romania, stealing an estimated €580,000 via a method known as Transaction Reversal Fraud (TRF). The tactic involved manipulating ATMs by inserting a bank card, initiating a withdrawal, and then canceling the transaction to manually retrieve the cash before the machine could retract it.

A first action against the group took place in the UK in December 2024, leading to prosecutions of eight suspects. On 23 July 2025, a second operation targeted members of the gang in Bacău, Romania, resulting in two arrests and 18 house searches. Two suspects are currently being questioned in Romania. Authorities also seized luxury vehicles, real estate, electronic devices, and large amounts of cash.

Investigations revealed the group had laundered proceeds through high-end purchases and investments in property and businesses. In addition to TRF, the network engaged in skimming, forging electronic payment and transport cards, and executing so-called “bin attacks,” a technique using software to generate valid card numbers for fraudulent transactions.