The National Police has arrested two people in Valencia and Torreblanca, in Castellón, for their alleged involvement in the theft of nearly ten million confidential records through cyberattacks. The arrested individuals are under investigation for disclosure of secrets, computer damage, money laundering, and membership of a criminal organization.
The investigation started in 2023, when a massive access to databases with information of students, parents and teachers from Castilla La Mancha was detected. From that first attack, the agents located about thirty similar actions that they attribute to the same group.
About thirty attacks linked to the same group
The operation, led by a court in Zaragoza, has been developed by the General Information Office with the collaboration of police units from Valencia, Castellón and Madrid. The focus of the investigation centered on an alleged organization with a specialized structure and differentiated functions both for obtaining data and for its subsequent economic exploitation.
According to the investigation, the stolen information was subsequently used to commit cyber scams, identity impersonations, and for its sale on clandestine forums. The Police maintain that the volume of compromised data would be around ten million confidential records.
Dismantled the technological infrastructure
In the searches carried out this week, agents have dismantled the technological infrastructure allegedly used by the network to execute the attacks. The money laundering system used by the organization has also been intervened, an operation that, always according to the investigation, relied on cryptocurrencies, virtual exchange platforms, and servers located in several European countries.
The case remains open and new proceedings are not ruled out while investigators analyze the seized material. The two detainees remain linked to an investigation pointing to a criminal organization dedicated to the massive theft of data and its subsequent monetization.