Australian Federal Police achieved a miraculous breakthrough. Specifically, they cracked a coded crypto wallet, seizing over $5.9 million from alleged criminals.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) cracked a coded crypto wallet backup. This successful operation recovered 9 million Australian dollars. Furthermore, this sum amounts to about $5.9 million USD. AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett called the effort truly “miraculous work.” Moreover, she credited a data scientist for the complex success. Indeed, inside the agency, this expert is called a “crypto safe cracker.”
Advanced Forensic Strategy Uncovers Criminal Communication Platform
At first there had been an investigation involving an alleged, well-connected criminal. Furthermore, this offender illegally stockpiled cryptocurrency. As a result of the crime, the alleged offender reportedly sold a “tech-type product” to other accused criminals. The AFP was first brought across about password-protected notes on his mobile phone. Thus, law enforcement also detected an image with random numbers and words.
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In addition, the investigation resulted in an overall seizure of $6.4 million in initial money. Moreover, an AFP also arrested Jay Je Yoon Jung, a 32-year-old Sydney resident. Consequently, Jung was accused of developing the platform that was named Ghost. Furthermore, this system is a highly encrypted messaging platform. Police alleged that Ghost was built for the sole use by criminal organizations.
The AFP statement explained the cost of the Ghost platform. Specifically, the app was being sold for around $1600. Therefore, in this price, a modified smartphone was included. In addition, it offered six months of access and technical support. Jung is now facing several serious charges. For that reason, these charges involve money laundering and drug-related crimes. Commissioner Barrett pointed out the incredibly high stakes on the successful investigation.
The Commissioner confirmed that the data scientist belonged to the Criminal Assets Confiscation Taskforce (CACT). As such, the team knew the offender would leave prison a multi-millionaire if the wallet remained closed. Furthermore, this wealth would come from organized crime profits.
The data scientist was able to open the contents of the wallet. Specifically, this was done through the elimination of phony numbers. The result was that these numbers have been deliberately added to the seed phrase. Accordingly, this complex alteration formed a complex “crypto trap.”
Total Recovery Exceeds $12 Million for Crime Prevention
The key to the method was manual modification. Specifically, the suspect had manually altered the sequence of the wallet’s seed phrase. Consequently, he put numbers at the front of the phrase. However, this manual edit was flaggable by human analysis. Therefore, the addition was missed by standard computer programs.
The success of the operation was enhanced by subsequent attempts. Furthermore, after cracking the primary wallet, the AFP used another method. Subsequently, a second separate wallet was successfully accessed. Ultimately, the whole investigation managed to recover more than A$12 million in total money. This major seizure was a direct result of the Ghost operation. Moreover, Jay Je Yoon Jung still faces several charges in court.
The seized funds will now go towards benefits for the community. Specifically, with the required court approval, the funds will be deposited. Therefore, they will be put into a dedicated federal account. In turn, these recovered assets will help to pay for fundamental crime prevention programs in full.
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