From TechRadar · · 1m 40s
Microsoft and Google shut down $66 million cybercrime marketplace
RedVDS sold virtual machines for launching phishing and fraud attacks until Microsoft and Google coordinated its takedown via a secure threat-sharing platform.
In brief
RedVDS sold virtual machines for launching phishing and fraud attacks until Microsoft and Google coordinated its takedown via a secure threat-sharing platform. Microsoft and Google shut down RedVDS, a cybercrime marketplace that sold virtual machines for fraud, after coordinating via a secure threat-sharing platform…
A cybercrime marketplace taken down
RedVDS sold access to virtual machines running unlicensed software that cybercriminals used to launch phishing, business email compromise attacks, and other scams.
How the takedown happened
Microsoft and Google coordinated the shutdown via the Global Signal Exchange, a non-profit threat data sharing platform. Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit monitored RedVDS closely.
The scale of the fraud
Between September and December 2025, RedVDS-provided virtual machines targeted 130,000 organizations. Cybercriminals compromised 191,000 Microsoft email accounts during this period.
The price of access
RedVDS sold basic scam-ready virtual machines for just twenty four dollars a month, making cybercrime accessible and affordable for attackers worldwide.
Microsoft and Google's coordinated action
In January 2026, Microsoft applied to courts in the UK and US to seize RedVDS web domains. Google identified related accounts and suspended them. Servers were impounded in Germany.
Why the Global Signal Exchange matters
The Global Signal Exchange, a UK-based non-profit co-founded by Google in 2025, enables trusted partners to share threat intelligence securely and in real time across company boundaries.
“Fraud does not respect company boundaries, and no single organization ever sees the whole picture.”
Ongoing collaboration ahead
Microsoft and Google have stated they plan to continue sharing information through the Global Signal Exchange, whose other partners include Meta and Amazon.
The key point
Microsoft and Google shut down RedVDS, a cybercrime marketplace that sold virtual machines for fraud, after coordinating via a secure threat-sharing platform called the Global Signal Exchange.
