 Please subscribe to this YouTube channel mentor. Talk can do press bell button for notifications. Today I'm going to talk about EncroChat. Yes, EncroChat communications network app available on Android phones. It has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. This communications network and service provider, a top secret communication system, was allegedly being widely used by criminals as a criminal marketplace to coordinate the supply of class A drugs across the globe, across the world. And not only that, even dealing in import of weapons, including assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, pistols, and hand grenades. The National Crime Agency of UK, NCA, worked closely with investigative and enforcement authorities across the Europe on the UK's major law enforcement operation. This network app was allegedly being used by gang members to plan criminal activities across the globe. Recently, the UK police infiltrated the network and EncroChat during a Europe-wide investigation. As per media reports, EncroChat and its founder company has seized operations because of the busting of their operations by the police. EncroChat has informed a section of media that it was shutting down permanently following several attacks carried out by a foreign organization that seems to originate in the UK. So this foreign organization, NCA, is being branded as an attacker by EncroChat. According to French authorities, 90% of the EncroChat users or subscribers were criminals. The EncroChat service was accessible for Android handsets in which they had their GPS, camera, and microphones functions deactivated. And as reported, these devices with set disabled features were found to be available for sale in the range of price tag equaling to US $1,200 to US $2,000, with EncroChat services obviously activated on them. The service had 10,000 users in UK alone, and estimated 60,000 people had subscribed to this French-based EncroChat app, which has now been taken down. Quite mischievously, the handsets allegedly used the BQ Aquarius X2 phone hardware and ran two operating systems, one very naive, innocent, unassuming for the public view and the other being dangerously integrated with privacy features. EncroChat featured a custom messaging app which routed messages through a central server. A panic button feature was available, where a certain PIM inputted to the device via the unlock screen would erase all data on the phone. Yes, EncroChat's SIM provider was the Dutch telecommunications company KPN. Yeah, I also remember the British National Crime Agency infiltrated the network, and the investigation got fast tracked in early 2019 after receiving EU funding. And the joint investigation team was formed between French authorities and the Dutch police in April 2020. Intelligence and technical collaboration between the British, the French, and the Dutch authorities climaxed in securing access to messages after EncroChat servers in France were penetrated. So these servers were obviously sort of located in France. Investigators could install malware on the phones which allowed them to read messages before they were sent. In the middle of June, EncroChat suspected itself that the infiltration of their servers has happened through the law enforcement authorities, and the users of EncroChat received a secret message. Can you believe it? Stating that the EncroChat domain was seized illegally by government entities, and that due to the level of sophistication of the attack and the malware code, EncroChat could no longer guarantee the security of users' device. And further, further, the users were advised by that secret message to power off and physically dispose of their devices immediately. So what is that? That was aiding the crime, by all means. In the meantime, the Dutch police arrested more than 100 suspects and seized more than 8 tons of cocaine, around 8 tons of crystal meth, dozens of guns, and luxury cars, and almost 20 million in cash. Though some say that figures could be much higher in times to come, in days to come. In UK, 171 arrests were made, and they seized more than 30 million UK pound in cash. As reported, perhaps over 800 arrests have been made so far in the Europe alone with regard to the evidence brought forward through the messages encrypted and encoded by them. Well, this is a cat and mouse story. Criminals have been beaten up and bruised and rightly so by the enforcement and security authorities. We need to make our world safe, secure, and peaceful place for the generation next. And thanks to the security and enforcement agencies for trying their best to make this world a better place again. And I hope that they keep on forging ahead by cracking and busting these criminal networks. Thank you. See you. Bye for now. Thanks. Please subscribe to this YouTube channel mentor. Talk and do press bell button for notifications.