FBI, NCA crack down on dark web market
In a global crackdown known as ‘Operation Cookie Monster’, international law enforcement agencies have taken control of a sizable dark web marketplace popular with cybercriminals, according to Britain’s National Crime Agency, NCA.
According to a banner plastered across the company’s website, the FBI seized late on Tuesday. Along with the logo of cybersecurity company Qintel, other police organisations from Europe, Canada, and Australia were also prominently displayed on the website.
“We assess that Genesis is one of the most significant access marketplaces anywhere in the world,” Rob Jones, the NCA’s Director General of Threat Leadership, said.
According to the NCA, the service stored over two million people’s digital fingerprints and about 80 million user credentials.
The operation, which the FBI and Dutch National Police coordinated, involved 17 nations, according to the report. It produced over 200 searches, 120 arrests, and almost 100 instances of “preventative activity.”
In its seizure notice, the FBI indicated that anyone who had gotten in touch with them should “Email us, we’re interested,” indicating that they were also interested in learning more about them.
According to Louise Ferrett, an analyst at the British cybersecurity company Searchlight Cyber, Genesis specialised in selling digital goods, particularly “browser fingerprints” gathered from devices carrying malicious software.
These fingerprints, which frequently contain credentials, cookies, internet protocol addresses, and other information about browsers or operating systems, can be used by thieves to get around anti-fraud measures like multi-factor authentication or device fingerprinting, she said.
The NCA detailed that Genesis made money by selling credentials for prices ranging from $0.7 to hundreds of dollars, depending on the amount of available stolen data.
It said that the investigation also involved the following nations: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
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