Australian Police Infiltrate Encrypted App 'Ghost', Leading to Global Arrests
In a significant breakthrough for law enforcement, Australian police have successfully infiltrated Ghost, an encrypted communications application purportedly designed for criminal enterprises. This operation has led to a wave of arrests, with 38 suspects apprehended across four states in recent days.
The alleged mastermind behind the app, Jay Je Yoon Jung, 32, faced a Sydney court on Wednesday, charged with supporting a criminal organization and profiting from illicit activities. Jung did not enter a plea or seek bail, and he will remain in custody until his next court appearance in November.
According to Ian McCartney, Deputy Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, the implications of this operation extend beyond national borders. Arrests have also been made in Canada, Sweden, Ireland, and Italy, highlighting the global reach of the criminal networks utilizing Ghost. McCartney noted that the app has allegedly been used by various organized crime groups, including Italian mafia, motorcycle gangs, and Middle Eastern and Korean crime syndicates, to facilitate drug trafficking and orchestrate violent acts.
Preventing Crimes Through Proactive Policing
In a remarkable display of proactive policing, authorities have reportedly prevented 50 potential murders, kidnappings, or serious injuries by monitoring over 125,000 messages and 120 video calls since March, as stated by Assistant Commissioner Kirsty Schofield.
Ghost was allegedly developed by Jung in 2017 specifically for criminal use. Australia joined a Europol-led global task force targeting the app in 2022. Col. Florian Manet, head of France’s Home Affairs Ministry National Cyber Command Technical Department, revealed that French officers contributed technical resources to the task force, which were instrumental in decrypting communications.
McCartney credited the French authorities with providing a crucial entry point for Australian police to access Ghost's encrypted communications. By cleverly modifying software updates that Jung regularly pushed to users, Australian technicians managed to infiltrate the devices of criminals, allowing them to access sensitive content.
“In effect, we infected the devices, enabling us to access the content on Australian devices,” McCartney explained. Interestingly, Jung was arrested at his parents' home in Sydney, where he reportedly lived a quiet life devoid of any prior police record. Authorities allege that Jung operated a network of resellers, offering specialized smartphones to criminals worldwide. These modified devices, priced at 2,350 Australian dollars (approximately $1,590), came bundled with a six-month subscription to Ghost and tech support.
