Original Article Text

Click to Toggle View

Police arrests 20 suspects for distributing child sexual abuse content. Law enforcement authorities from over a dozen countries have arrested 20 suspects in an international operation targeting the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material. Starting in late 2024, the Spanish National Police discovered multiple instant messaging groups dedicated to the circulation of child sexual exploitation images and alerted authorities in other countries through INTERPOL and Europol after identifying 88 suspects in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. "In December 2024, INTERPOL invited Spanish investigators to Chile to attend the Latin America Victim Identification Task Force meeting," the international police organization said. "There, they presented Operation Vibora to specialized officers from across Latin America, allowing them to exchange on cases, provide concrete leads and launch coordinated actions." Spanish authorities arrested seven suspects during a joint operation, including a teacher charged with sharing child sexual abuse material online and a healthcare worker accused of paying minors from Eastern Europe for CSAM content. The operation also resulted in the seizure of computers, mobile phones, and other devices. In Latin America, INTERPOL assisted in the arrest of ten more suspects across seven countries, including three in El Salvador and a teacher in Panama, with additional arrests made in Europe and the United States. Previous operations targeting CSAM platforms Earlier this year, another joint international investigation led by the State Criminal Police of Bavaria and Bavarian cybercrime prosecutors took down Kidflix, one of the largest child sexual abuse material (CSAM) platforms on the dark web. Dubbed Operation Stream, the action led to 79 arrests, 1,393 suspects identified, and more than 3,000 electronic devices seized between March 10 and March 23, 2025 In February, law enforcement agencies from 19 countries also arrested 25 suspects linked to a large criminal ring distributing AI-generated CSAM, identifying 273 suspected criminal network members and seizing 173 devices. Thousands of pedophiles who shared and downloaded CSAM were also identified last year by Recorded Future's Insikt Group using information-stealing malware logs leaked on the dark web. Insikt Group provided this information to law enforcement to identify and apprehend these individuals. Why IT teams are ditching manual patch management Manual patching is outdated. It's slow, error-prone, and tough to scale. Join Kandji + Tines on June 4 to see why old methods fall short. See real-world examples of how modern teams use automation to patch faster, cut risk, stay compliant, and skip the complex scripts.

Daily Brief Summary

CYBERCRIME // Global Crackdown Nets 20 In Child Abuse Content Distribution Ring

Law enforcement authorities from multiple countries arrested 20 suspects involved in the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

The operation, initiated by the Spanish National Police, began by targeting instant messaging groups spreading CSAM globally.

Collaborative efforts included INTERPOL and Europol, facilitating the sharing of intelligence and coordination of arrests across continents.

The international crackdown involved seizing significant amounts of digital evidence, including computers and mobile phones.

Among those arrested were a teacher and a healthcare worker, highlighting the diverse backgrounds of individuals involved in these criminal activities.

In addition, operations led to arrests in various countries, including 10 suspects in Latin America and others in Europe and the United States.

Previous related operations this year resulted in over 79 arrests and the identification of hundreds of suspects and seized thousands of electronic devices.

The operation underscored the continuing challenge of combating the global spread of CSAM and the effectiveness of international law enforcement cooperation in addressing these crimes.