Bottom line: Dutch authorities arrested two suspects and seized 800 servers of a web hosting company that supported Russian cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns. The company allegedly provided indirect support to EU-sanctioned entities.
Dutch financial investigators arrested two suspects and seized 800 servers of a web hosting company that supported cyber attacks, interference operations, and disinformation campaigns. The company allegedly provided indirect economic resources to Russian and Belarusian EU-sanctioned entities.
The Dutch financial crime authority (FIOD) arrested a 57-year-old managing director and a 39-year-old manager of an internet connectivity company. The web hosting firm Stark Industries was established shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and came under suspicion of supporting Russian operations that undermined democracy and security following EU sanctions. After sanctioning, the infrastructure was transferred to a newly established Dutch company – WorkTitans B.V., operating under the brand THE.Hosting.
During raids at data centers in Dronten and Schiphol-Rijk as well as in Enschede and Almere, the FIOD seized 800 servers, laptops, phones, and administrative documents. According to De Volkskrant, the infrastructure was linked to attacks by the pro-Russian hacker group NoName057(16). The company Mirhosting in Almere operated physical servers and provided connectivity to major internet exchange points in Amsterdam and Frankfurt. While WorkTitans made no statement, Mirhosting denied unknowingly supporting illegal operations.