Home / Technology / Global Cooperation Dismantles $66M Fraud Marketplace
Global Cooperation Dismantles $66M Fraud Marketplace
21 Sep
Summary
- RedVDS sold access to virtual machines for cyber fraud.
- Microsoft and Google collaborated via Global Signal Exchange.
- The marketplace targeted 130,000 organizations in late 2025.
A major cybercrime marketplace known as RedVDS has been taken offline due to a collaborative effort between Microsoft and Google. Operating via the Global Signal Exchange (GSE), a non-profit threat data sharing platform, the two tech giants successfully disrupted RedVDS, which illicitly sold access to virtual machines. These compromised virtual environments were used by cybercriminals to launch extensive phishing and business email compromise attacks.
Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit monitored RedVDS, leading to court actions in January 2026 in the UK and US to seize its web domains. Data shared through the GSE enabled Google to identify and suspend related accounts on its networks. Servers were subsequently impounded in Germany, with Europol also taking action against European servers. This operation effectively dismantled a fraud marketplace estimated to be worth $66 million.
Between September and December 2025 alone, RedVDS's services impacted an estimated 130,000 organizations, compromising 191,000 Microsoft email accounts. Access to these cybercrime tools was available for as little as $24 per month. The GSE, co-founded by Google in 2025, plays a crucial role in fostering secure information sharing among trusted partners to combat the evolving cybercrime supply chain.
