Operation Endgame: Do Takedowns and Arrests Matter?

Operation Endgame, an international coordinated law‑enforcement campaign, entered a new phase in April 2025 with arrests targeting customers of cybercriminal services; the report reviews prior takedowns of high‑impact malware families (Emotet, Trickbot, Smokeloader, Pikabot, IcedID, Bumblebee), evaluates their effectiveness in degrading criminal infrastructure, and concludes that coordinated takedowns meaningfully raise costs for attackers and provide defenders temporary relief though cybercrime will continue.