According to Infosecurity Magazine, Operation Endgame 3.0 successfully dismantled three major malware networks between November 10 and 13 in a coordinated international effort spanning 11 countries. The operation specifically targeted Rhadamanthys infostealer, VenomRAT remote access trojan, and the Elysium botnet infrastructure. Law enforcement took down or disrupted over 1025 servers worldwide and seized 20 domains while conducting searches across Germany, Greece, and the Netherlands. The suspected main operator of VenomRAT was arrested in Greece during the raids. Europol confirmed the dismantled infrastructure had infected hundreds of thousands of victims globally with malware. The operation involved agencies from six EU countries plus Australia, Canada, the UK, and US, with coordination from Europol’s headquarters in The Hague.
Why these takedowns matter
This isn’t just another cybercrime bust – these were some seriously nasty tools that have been causing real damage. Rhadamanthys had become one of the leading infostealers after previous operations disrupted the landscape, basically filling the vacuum left by other takedowns. And VenomRAT? That’s the kind of remote access tool that gives attackers complete control over infected systems. The scale here is massive – we’re talking about infrastructure that infected hundreds of thousands of machines worldwide.
The international coordination challenge
Here’s the thing about these operations: they’re incredibly complex to pull off. You’ve got law enforcement from 11 countries working together, plus Europol and Eurojust coordinating, and over 30 private cybersecurity companies providing intelligence. That’s a lot of moving parts. But when it works, the results speak for themselves – over a thousand servers taken down in one coordinated sweep. The Europol announcement makes it clear this is part of an ongoing campaign, not a one-off event.
Just how big was Rhadamanthys?
The numbers from Shadowserver are staggering. Between March and November 2025, they sent notifications about Rhadamanthys infections to 201 national CSIRTs across 175 countries and over 10,000 network owners worldwide. That’s global reach on an almost unimaginable scale. Their special report shows how quickly these infostealers can establish themselves after previous operations create openings in the market. It’s like playing whack-a-mole, but with billion-dollar criminal enterprises.
The inevitable comeback question
So what happens now? History tells us that cybercriminals are remarkably resilient. When one infrastructure goes down, they often regroup and rebuild. But operations like this do more than just disrupt current operations – they gather intelligence, identify key players, and create legal precedents. The arrest in Greece is particularly significant because it targets the human element behind the malware. Still, you have to wonder how long until we see Operation Endgame 4.0 targeting the replacements that will inevitably emerge. The ongoing reporting from organizations like Shadowserver will be crucial for tracking what comes next.
