Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) and international partners are disrupting the leading tool used to indiscriminately steal sensitive personal and organizational information to facilitate cybercrime. On Tuesday, May 13, Microsoft’s DCU filed a legal action against Lumma Stealer (“Lumma”), which is the favored info-stealing malware used by hundreds of cyber threat actors. Lumma steals passwords, credit cards, bank accounts, and cryptocurrency wallets and has enabled criminals to hold schools for ransom, empty bank accounts, and disrupt critical services.
Via a court order granted in the United States District Court of the Northern District of Georgia, Microsoft’s DCU seized and facilitated the takedown, suspension, and blocking of approximately 2,300 malicious domains that formed the backbone of Lumma’s infrastructure. The Department of Justice (DOJ) simultaneously seized the central command structure for Lumma and disrupted the marketplaces where the tool was sold to other cybercriminals. Europol’s European Cybercrime Center (EC3) and Japan’s Cybercrime Control Center (JC3) facilitated the suspension of locally based Lumma infrastructure.
Between March 16, 2025, and May 16, 2025, Microsoft identified over 394,000 Windows computers globally infected by the Luma malware. Working with law enforcement and industry partners, we have severed communications between the malicious tool and victims. Moreover, more than 1,300 domains seized by or transferred to Microsoft, including 300 domains actioned by law enforcement with the support of Europol, will be redirected to Microsoft sinkholes. This will allow Microsoft’s DCU to provide actionable intelligence to continue to harden the security of the company’s services and help protect online users. These insights will also assist public- and private-sector partners as they continue to track, investigate, and remediate this threat. This joint action is designed to slow the speed at which these actors can launch their attacks, minimize the effectiveness of their campaigns, and hinder their illicit profits by cutting a major revenue stream.
Heat map showing the global spread of Lumina Strepter. Areas in red indicate regions with a high number of infections and encounters, while areas in blue represent lower levels of activity.
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