Police secure 6.4 million stolen records
International operation against malware network also exposed ransomware infrastructure, according to police.
Follow-up to: International cyber operation takes 102 servers offline Thursday, 12 November 2026, 15:25
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More than 6.4 million stolen personal records have been secured, according to Dutch police, during the international cyber operation in which more than a hundred servers were taken offline. The new information gives a clearer picture of the network’s possible scale, but does not say exactly how many victims there are.
Dutch police announced on Thursday that more than 6.4 million stolen records had been secured in the operation. According to police, these were personal data available within the criminal network under investigation.
Police say that malware infection could in some cases lead to ransomware, making files and systems inaccessible to victims. The operation targeted the infrastructure used by criminals to collect data and carry out attacks.
Police and investigative services from the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada took part in the operation. Europol and Eurojust supported the cooperation.
According to police, the secured data will be shared with organisations that can warn those affected, including Have I Been Pwned, Shadowserver and the Dutch platform Check je Hack. This does not automatically mean that all the data have already been linked to individual victims.
The number of secured records alone does not show how many people are behind the network, how many victims have actually been contacted or which companies were specifically affected. The operation disrupts the infrastructure, but does not make clear whether other servers or copies of the data are still active.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- Police report that more than 6.4 million stolen records have been secured.
- The operation was international and involved malware infrastructure that could also be used for ransomware.
- The number of individual victims and the identities of suspects have not been disclosed.
Left
Arguments Governments and platforms must protect personal data more robustly and actively inform victims, even when this requires additional public spending.
Values Privacy, protection of citizens and public responsibility.
Consequences Greater oversight and a duty to report may limit harm, but increase costs for companies and governments.
Centre
Arguments International investigations and rapid warnings to possible victims are needed, combined with restraint while investigations are ongoing.
Values The rule of law, proportionality and practical security.
Consequences Cooperation can disrupt criminal infrastructure, but data sharing must be handled carefully to prevent new privacy problems.
Right
Arguments The emphasis should be on investigation, prosecution and tough sanctions for criminals and companies that neglect their digital security.
Values Responsibility, order and deterrence.
Consequences Harsher penalties may deter offenders, but do not automatically address international infrastructure and vulnerable software.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The figures and cooperation arrangements come from Dutch police and Europol. The article clearly distinguishes between secured data and proven victims.
- confirmed More than 6.4 million stolen personal records have been secured. — This figure appears in the report by Dutch police and in Europol’s reference. source
- confirmed The operation involved infrastructure linked to malware and ransomware. — Police describe infection and the possible subsequent ransomware attack. source
- confirmed Services from the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada took part. — These countries are named by police. source
Editor's note
Police have confirmed the figure of more than 6.4 million secured records and the international cooperation. The number of victims, the people responsible and the network’s full scale remain unknown.Sources
The story so far
- Thursday, 12 November 2026, 15:25 International cyber operation takes 102 servers offline
- Thursday, 12 November 2026, 19:48 Police secure 6.4 million stolen records (this article)
More on this in Dutch media
- Trouw — „cybercrime malware”
- NU.nl — „cybercrime malware”
- De Telegraaf — „cybercrime malware”