Tens of thousands investigated using snooping software
Italian Police have swooped on a major counterfeiting ring based in Italy and have nabbed €118 million ($139.8 million) worth of fake software, the Business Software Alliance said.
The crackdown, dubbed "Operation Mouse" was headed up by Italian cops from the crack Green Beret brigade, aided by both the BSA and the Federation against Music Piracy.
The Green Berets used dynamic IP address tracing, log file analysis, and code breaking passwords to counter anonymous email addresses and encrypted messages.
The conspiracy resulted in 181 people being charged but another 10,300 people are under investigation, the authorities said.
The thieves weren"t just operating in Italy but were peddling the goods across Europe.