The Egyptian Public Prosecutor issued a decision to refer an international criminal gang, accused of committing cross-border cyber piracy crimes, to criminal trial, following the conclusion of investigations by the Economic Affairs and Money Laundering Prosecution, which revealed the defendants' involvement in global-scale piracy operations.

The Public Prosecution charged five Egyptian defendants with forming and managing an international criminal gang that created electronic platforms specialized in providing "phishing" services in exchange for payments in cryptocurrencies, targeting international financial institutions and accounts belonging to Microsoft.

Investigations revealed, according to a judicial source, that the defendants specialized in what is known as "hacking as a service," providing technical support to their clients to carry out complex cyber attacks targeting Microsoft systems and digital infrastructures of major global institutions.

According to sources, this gang is classified among the top five most dangerous cybercriminal networks in the world, due to the scale of its activities and its wide-ranging impact.

The source added that the defendants created and managed about 240 fraudulent websites, which were used to carry out intensive phishing attacks, resulting in the theft of data and digital accounts, causing disruptions to information networks and incurring significant financial losses to the targeted entities.

The Mansoura Economic Court had previously issued a ruling in 2024 convicting the defendants, sentencing them to prison terms ranging from two to three years, along with imposing hefty fines and confiscating the devices used in the piracy operations and the seized cryptocurrencies.

However, the Economic Affairs and Money Laundering Prosecution reopened the investigations based on technical information provided by cybersecurity specialists, confirming that the defendants marketed hacking services through two electronic platforms named "ONNX Store" and "Caffeine," in exchange for payments in cryptocurrencies.

Following a mandate from the Public Prosecution, the relevant investigative authorities commenced their work, where specialized units of the Ministry of Interior managed to trace the digital fingerprints of the defendants and link them to the mentioned platforms.

The investigations, supported by the defendants' confessions, accurately identified each individual's role in the hacking and electronic fraud operations, as well as reaching the accounts and digital wallets used, and seizing them.

The court confirmed in its ruling that the accused platforms were specifically created to commit cyber crimes, consisting of selling integrated tools and technical services to internet criminals in exchange for payments made in cryptocurrencies.

The court also emphasized the defendants' establishment of websites, accounts, and email addresses impersonating real legal entities, primarily Microsoft, with the aim of deceiving users and stealing their confidential data and money, which caused significant harm to the reputation of those entities and contributed to the theft of their clients' data.