Europol has intensified its efforts against “The Com,” an online network accused of recruiting minors into cyberattacks, extortion, and violent crimes. This initiative, known as Project COMPASS, unites law enforcement agencies from EU Member States and partner countries to prevent and investigate activities associated with the network.
Operating as a decentralized network, The Com comprises various subgroups across social media, messaging apps, gaming platforms, and other digital spaces. This structure allows members to swiftly transition between platforms, use anonymous accounts, and form new groups, complicating investigative efforts. The network specifically targets minors and vulnerable individuals, grooming or coercing them into producing explicit material, self-harm, property damage, or participation in cybercrime. Perpetrators often collect this material to maintain control over their victims.
Europol Targets Teen Hacker Network
One faction, Cyber Com, focuses on digital attacks against online commerce and infrastructure, including network intrusions, credential theft, ransomware deployment, and service disruptions. Another branch, Offline Com, promotes property damage and physical violence, aligning with a violent nihilistic ideology. A third element, referred to as “(S)extortion Com,” is linked to coercing minors into sexual crimes, self-harm, and violence against individuals or animals.
The network exploits fear, isolation, and a victim’s desire for belonging to expand its reach. Europol has identified group 764 as a particularly notorious community within this landscape. Active since at least 2021, this group employs aggressive recruitment and grooming methods to push young people toward creating explicit content and committing harmful acts, which are then traded, shared, or used for blackmail.
Authorities warn that some groups within this ecosystem are increasingly overlapping with violent extremist communities, including those associated with satanic and accelerationist ideologies. This convergence raises concerns that online coercion and cybercrime could escalate into serious offline violence.
Project COMPASS supports active investigations involving counter-terrorism, child sexual abuse material, and organized crime units. The project facilitates intelligence sharing, operational cooperation, and prevention strategies among participating countries. To date, the initiative has reported four victims safeguarded, 303 arrests, 626 identified or partially identified victims, and 179 identified or partially identified perpetrators. Europol has also conducted nine joint awareness-raising activities to help families, schools, platforms, and investigators recognize the warning signs of online grooming and coercion.
Project COMPASS reflects a growing international effort to disrupt harmful online communities before their digital abuse escalates into cyber extortion, exploitation, or physical violence. This proactive approach underscores the importance of collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the public to protect vulnerable individuals from online exploitation.
