Microsoft, Google took down $66 million cybercrime marketplace that sold virtual machines with free software
Effort takes down RedVDS, a criminal marketplace believed to have contributed to $66 million losses to US businesses and individuals.
Microsoft and Google collaborated via the Global Signal Exchange (GSE) to dismantle a $66 million cybercrime marketplace known as RedVDS. The marketplace sold virtual machines preloaded with unlicensed software, which cybercriminals used to launch phishing, business email compromise, and other attacks. The GSE, a UK-based non-profit co-founded by Google in 2025, facilitated real-time monitoring of the cybercrime supply chain.
Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit and Google's threat detection systems identified the RedVDS marketplace, leading to the seizure of its web domains and servers in the UK and US. Europol also took action against Europe-based RedVDS servers. The operation targeted 130,000 organizations and compromised 191,000 Microsoft email accounts during September-December 2025.
Both Microsoft and Google plan to continue sharing threat data through the GSE, highlighting the importance of collaborative efforts in combating cybercrime.
Written by urgent.news from TechRadar's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
