Europol-led crackdown on The Com hackers leads to 30 arrests
Source: Bleeping Computer
A year‑long Europol‑coordinated operation dubbed Project Compass has led to 30 arrests and 179 suspects being tied to The Com, an online cybercrime collective that targets children and teenagers.
In a press release issued on Thursday, Europol said investigators identified 62 victims and directly safeguarded four of them from the group’s attacks.
Launched in January 2025 and led by Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre, the Project Compass joint action has brought together law‑enforcement agencies from 28 countries to combat The Com (short for Community).
The Com network
Described by Europol as a decentralized nihilistic extremist network, The Com is a loose‑knit network of English‑speaking cybercriminals known for targeting, victimising, and recruiting young people for extortion, violence, and the production of child sexual exploitation material (CSAM).
The Com operates across a wide range of social media, online gaming environments, messaging apps, and music‑streaming platforms, and is organised into multiple sub‑groups, including:
- Offline Com – promotes property damage, harming others, and committing acts of terrorism.
- Cyber Com – orchestrates network intrusions and ransomware attacks.
- (S)extortion Com – coerces minors into sex crimes and encourages self‑harm and suicide.
Another subgroup that first surfaced in 2021, known as “764,” is especially notorious for grooming young people into producing explicit content, which is then used for blackmail or shared among members.
Arrests of 764 leaders
Two alleged 764 leaders – 21‑year‑old Leonidas Varagiannis and 20‑year‑old Prasan Nepal – were arrested in April 2025 and charged with operating an international child‑exploitation ring. They now face life imprisonment.
Source
Previous high‑profile attacks
The Com has previously been linked to ransomware attacks against:
and to the Las Vegas casino breaches in September 2023.
Official statements
“These networks deliberately target children in the digital spaces where they feel most at ease,” said Anna Sjöberg, head of Europol’s European Counter Terrorism Centre.
— Europol press release
“Project Compass allows us to intervene earlier, safeguard victims and disrupt those who exploit vulnerability for extremist purposes. No country can address this threat alone – and through this cooperation, we are closing the gaps they try to hide in.”