Security News > 2021 > December > Oz Feds reveal distribution model behind backdoored 'An0m' chat app spread by crims
Australia's Federal Police force has revealed more about how it distributed a backdoored chat app to criminals.
The app, named An0m, was revealed in June 2021 when Australia's Feds, the FBI and European authorities revealed they'd combined to convince crims the software allowed secure communications.
The app ran on conventional Android smartphones modified to run An0m and nothing else.
An0m was backdoored, so law enforcement agencies were able to observe crims merrily chatting among themselves, often freely discussing criminal conspiracies.
The resulting law enforcement efforts - Special Operation Ironside in Australia, Operation Trojan Shield in the USA and elsewhere - proved very productive.
The AFP today announced a new phase of Operation Ironside, based on further analysis of 19-million-plus messages that pertain to criminal activity in Australia.