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The '''ANOM''' (also styled as '''AN0M''' or '''ANØM''') sting operation (known as '''Operation Trojan Shield''' or '''Operation Ironside''') was a collaboration by [[law enforcement agency|law enforcement agencies]] from several countries, running between 2018 and 2021, that intercepted millions of messages sent through the supposedly secure [[smartphone]]-based [[messaging app]] ANOM. The app was actually a [[trojan horse (computing)|trojan horse]] covertly distributed by the United States [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) and the [[Australian Federal Police]] (AFP), with law enforcement agencies in other countries joining in later. The ANOM service was widely used by criminals, but instead of providing [[secure communication]], it was actually designed to allow law enforcement to monitor all communications. The information collected in that [[sting operation]] resulted in the arrest of around 800 suspects allegedly involved in criminal activity, in 16 countries.
The '''ANOM''' (also styled as '''AN0M''' or '''ANØM''') sting operation (known as '''Operation Trojan Shield''' or '''Operation Ironside''') was a collaboration by [[law enforcement agency|law enforcement agencies]] from several countries, running between 2018 and 2021, that intercepted millions of messages sent through the supposedly secure [[smartphone]]-based [[messaging app]] ANOM. The app was actually a [[trojan horse (computing)|trojan horse]] covertly distributed by the United States [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) and the [[Australian Federal Police]] (AFP), with law enforcement agencies in other countries joining in later. The ANOM service was widely used by criminals, but instead of providing [[secure communication]], it was actually designed to allow law enforcement to monitor all communications. The information collected in that [[sting operation]] resulted in the arrest of over 800 suspects allegedly involved in criminal activity, in 16 countries.


==Background==
==Background==

Revision as of 22:14, 9 June 2021

For the French branch of the Archives Nationales, see Archives nationales d'outre-mer.

Operation Trojan Shield
Seal of the FBI's Operation Trojan Shield
Date
  • October 2018 (initial device distribution)
  • 8 June 2021 (search warrant execution)
Location100+ countries
MotiveSurveillance of criminal activity
Organised byU.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Europol, Australian Federal Police, and others
Outcome800+ arrests, and seizure of 40 tons of drugs, 250 guns, 55 luxury cars, and over $48 million in currencies and cryptocurrencies

The ANOM (also styled as AN0M or ANØM) sting operation (known as Operation Trojan Shield or Operation Ironside) was a collaboration by law enforcement agencies from several countries, running between 2018 and 2021, that intercepted millions of messages sent through the supposedly secure smartphone-based messaging app ANOM. The app was actually a trojan horse covertly distributed by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP), with law enforcement agencies in other countries joining in later. The ANOM service was widely used by criminals, but instead of providing secure communication, it was actually designed to allow law enforcement to monitor all communications. The information collected in that sting operation resulted in the arrest of over 800 suspects allegedly involved in criminal activity, in 16 countries.

Background

The shutdown of the Canadian secure messaging company Phantom Secure in March 2018 left international criminals in need of an alternative system for secure communication.[1] Around the same time, the San Diego FBI branch had been working with an individual who had been developing a "next generation" encrypted device for use by criminal networks. The person was facing charges and cooperated with the FBI in exchange for a reduced sentence. The individual offered to develop ANOM and then distribute it to criminals through their existing networks.[2][3]

The first communication devices with ANOM were offered by this informant to three former distributors of Phantom Secure in October 2018.[4]

The FBI also negotiated with a third (unnamed) country to set up a communication interception, but based on a court order that allowed passing the information back to the FBI. Since October 2019, ANOM communications have been passed on to the FBI from this third country.[1]

The FBI named the operation "Trojan Shield",[5] and the AFP named it "Ironside".[6]

Distribution and usage

The ANOM devices consisted of a messaging app running on smartphones that had been specially modified to disable normal functions such as voice telephony, email, or location services. After checking that normal functionality was disabled,[7] the messaging apps then communicated with one another via supposedly secure proxy servers, which then copied all messages sent to servers controlled by the FBI. The FBI could then decrypt the messages with a private key associated with the message, without ever needing remote access to the devices.[3][8] The devices also had a fixed identification number assigned to each user, allowing messages from the same user to be connected to each other.[8]

About 50 devices were distributed in Australia for beta testing from October 2018. The intercepted communications showed that every device was used for criminal activities, primarily being used by organised criminal gangs.[1][3]

Use of the app spread through word of mouth,[3] and was also encouraged by undercover agents;[9] former drug trafficker Hakan Ayik was identified "as someone who was trusted and was going to be able to successfully distribute this platform", and without his knowledge was encouraged by undercover agents to use and sell the devices on the black market, further expanding its use.[9][10] After users of the devices requested smaller and newer phones, new devices were designed and sold.[4]

After a slow start, the rate of distribution of ANOM increased from mid-2019. By October 2019, there were several hundred users. By May 2021, there had been 11,800 devices with ANOM installed, of which about 9,000 were in use.[1] New Zealand had 57 users of the ANOM communication system.[11] The Swedish Police had access to conversations from 1,600 users, of which they focused their surveillance on 600 users.[12] Europol stated 27 million messages were collected from ANOM devices across over 100 countries.[13]

Some skepticism of the app did exist; one March 2021 WordPress blog post called the app a scam after discovering connections to Google servers, as well as servers in the United States and Australia.[14][15][3]

Arrests and reactions

The sting operation culminated in search warrants that were executed simultaneously around the globe on 8 June 2021.[11] It is not entirely clear why this date was chosen, but news organizations have speculated it might be related to a warrant for server access expiring on 7 June.[3] The background to the sting operation and its transnational nature was revealed following the execution of the search warrants. Over 800 people were arrested in 16 countries.[16][17][18] Among the arrested people were alleged members of Australian-based Italian mafia, Albanian organised crime, outlaw motorcycle gangs, drug syndicates and other crime groups.[16][6][19] In the European Union, arrests were coordinated through Europol.[20] Arrests were also made in the United Kingdom, although the National Crime Agency was unwilling to provide details about the number arrested.[21]

The seized evidence included almost 40 tons of drugs (over eight tons of cocaine, 22 tons of cannabis and cannabis resin, six tons of synthetic drug precursors, two tons of synthetic drugs), 250 guns, 55 luxury cars[18] and more than $48 million in various currencies and cryptocurrencies. In Australia alone, 224 people were arrested on 526 total charges.[19] In New Zealand, 35 people were arrested and faced a total of 900 charges. Police seized $3.7 million in assets, including 14 vehicles, drugs, firearms and more than $1 million in cash.[22][23]

Over the course of the three years, more than 9,000 police officers across 18 countries were involved in the sting operation. Australian prime minister Scott Morrison said that the sting operation had "struck a heavy blow against organised crime." Europol described it as the "biggest ever law enforcement operation against encrypted communication."[16]

Arrests in Sweden

See also: Gun violence in Sweden

In Sweden, 155 people were arrested as part of the operation on 7 June.[12] According to police in Sweden which received intelligence from the FBI, during an early phase of the operation it was discovered that many of the suspects were in Sweden. The suspects in Sweden were noted for a higher rate of violent crime.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Cheviron, Nicholas (17 May 2021). "Affidavit in support of application for search warrant". documentcloud.org. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. ^ Corder, Mike and Perry, Nick, Global sting: FBI-encrypted app tricks organized crime Archived 8 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press, 8 June 2021
  3. ^ a b c d e f "ANOM global phone sting: What we know". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b Zhuang, Yan; Peltier, Elian; Feuer, Alan (8 June 2021). "The Criminals Thought the Devices Were Secure. But the Seller Was the F.B.I." The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Hundreds arrested after Australian police and FBI crack underworld messaging app". The Guardian. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  6. ^ a b Westcott, Ben. "FBI and Australian Federal Police encrypted app trap ensnares hundreds of criminal suspects". CNN. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  7. ^ Sharwood, Simon. "Australian cops, FBI created backdoored chat app, told crims it was secure – then snooped on 9,000 users' plots". The Register. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  8. ^ a b Robertson, Adi (8 June 2021). "The FBI secretly launched an encrypted messaging system for criminals". The Verge. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  9. ^ a b "The Australian fugitive who led his criminal friends into a police trap". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Hakan Ayik: The man who accidentally helped FBI get in criminals' pockets". BBC News. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Anom: The app at the heart of the FBI's major transnational sting". The New Zealand Herald. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  12. ^ a b Smed, Akvelina (8 June 2021). "155 tungt kriminella gripna i Sverige i stor insats". SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Drug Rings' Favorite New Encrypted Platform Had One Flaw: The FBI Controlled It". NPR. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  14. ^ "ANOM ENCRYPTED SCAM EXPOSED – ANOM EXPOSED". Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  15. ^ "Anom Encrypted App Analysis". 9 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  16. ^ a b c "ANOM: Hundreds arrested in massive global crime sting". BBC News. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  17. ^ Cox, Joseph (8 June 2021). "Trojan Shield: How the FBI Secretly Ran a Phone Network for Criminals". Vice (magazine). Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  18. ^ a b Светлова, Анна (8 June 2021). Европол задержал более 800 преступников в рамках международной операции [Europol detained over 800 criminals as part of an international operation] (in Russian). Gazeta.ru. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  19. ^ a b "AFP-led Operation Ironside smashes organised crime". Australian Federal Police. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  20. ^ "Trojan Shield: Europol details massive organized crime sting". Deutsche Welle. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  21. ^ "UK criminals among those duped into using secret message service run by the FBI". Belfast Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  22. ^ "FBI-encrypted app hailed as a 'shining example' of collaboration between world cops for tricking gangs". Stuff. 8 June 2021. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Anom: The app at the heart of the FBI's major transnational sting". The New Zealand Herald. Archived from the original on 9 June 2021. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  24. ^ Smed, Akvelina; Jönsson, Oskar; Boati, David (8 June 2021). "Underrättelsechefen: "Sveriges användare stack ut"" [The head of intelligence: "Sweden's users stood out"]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  • https://anom.io/ - as of 8 June 2021, this displays FBI and AFP graphics, a "Trojan Shield" graphic, and a "This domain has been seized" notice, with a form inviting visitors "To determine if your account is associated with an ongoing investigation, please enter any device details below"
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