France-based victims hit especially hard, while UK named most-targeted country generally

Researchers are seeing a "dramatic" increase in cybercrime involving physical violence across Europe, with at least 18 cases reported since the start of the year.

The hike in what experts refer to as "violence as a service" was first spotted in 2024 and has continued into 2025, especially in France where 13 of the total cases have taken place.

Individuals selected for the operation would need to obtain a 'burner' Windows laptop, travel to the UK-based entity's corporate headquarters to connect to the onsite Wi-Fi, and provide remote access to the laptop via RDP...

In its annual European Threat Landscape Report, CrowdStrike cites figures collected by the co-founder of crypto security firm Casa, Jameson Lopp. Lopp tracks violent crypto crime, noting that many of those who partake in such crimes are members of The Com.

Perhaps the most high-profile case from the past year came in January when Ledger ...