How an international sting took down 'Genesis', the dark web market, where stolen passwords, bank logins were sold

In a significant development, the FBI and other international law enforcement organisations were able to seize a global cybercrime marketplace where crooks could buy and sell stolen data and passwords for as little as $1 (~Rs 82). Genesis Market was taken offline on Tuesday night as a result of the sting, which was coordinated by the FBI and Dutch police with the assistance of law enforcement organisations from 18 different nations, including the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), according to Reuters. Thieves will now be made aware that there are no longer any cookies for them as authorities replaced the site with a large notification that reads, “This website has been seized,” rather than a sprawling market website stocked with millions of stolen credentials for them to feed on. [caption id=“attachment_12415162” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The FBI investigation known as “Operation Cookie Monster” is now displayed to users who attempt to visit the website. Image Courtesy: NCA[/caption] Also read: Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2023: Geopolitical instability will cause 'catastrophic' cyberattack in 2 years, says World Genesis Market – The hacker’s favourite place to shop According to the news agency, the invitation-only crime forum Genesis Market has been essential in enabling hackers to access compromised systems in order to commit other types of fraud, like identity theft and ransomware assaults. CNN quoted cybersecurity researchers as saying that the criminal forum, which has advertised login information for individual bank accounts, was born out of research that hackers conducted on anti-fraud technologies used by hundreds of banks and payment networks. Users were given step-by-step instructions on how to buy stolen information and how to utilise it for fraud in the marketplace, which could be found on both the dark web and regular search engines, reported BBC. Depending on the sort of information supplied, prices ranged from $1 (~Rs 82) to several hundreds of dollars. It is “very, very easy” for anyone to access Genesis Market in order to conduct a crime, according to Rob Jones, director general of the National Economic Crime Centre. Data for sale According to Europol’s statement, upon purchase of a bot, criminals would get access to all the data harvested by it such as fingerprints, cookies, saved logins, and autofill form data. This information was collected in real-time – the buyers would be notified of any change of passwords, etc. The most expensive bot would contain financial information which would allow access to online banking accounts. [caption id=“attachment_12415182” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] On Genesis Market, both individuals and businesses had their information sold, which made it easier to commit fraud, ransomware attacks. Reuters[/caption] The criminals buying these special bots were not only provided with stolen data but also with the means of using it. Buyers were provided with a custom browser which would mimic one of their victims. This allowed the criminals to access their victim’s account without triggering any of the security measures from the platform the account was on, as per the statement. These security measures include recognising a different log-in location, a different browser fingerprint or a different operating system. Also read: How a job scam revealed Rs 3,000 crore money laundering via cryptocurrencies Threat to public information CNN quoted US cybersecurity company Trellix as saying that Genesis Market “began to actively recruit” data sellers to the forum in February, probably in an effort to meet the rising demand for customer data that had been stolen. There were two million people’s personal credentials, totalling 80 million sets, for sale in the market. Together with so-called digital fingerprints carrying information from the victims’ gadgets, online banking, Facebook, Amazon, PayPal, and Netflix account information, also known as “bots,” were for sale. Posing as the victim allowed crooks to get past internet security measures, reported The Guardian. The outlet quoted experts at cybersecurity company Sophos as saying that advertisements on the website stated that a hacked computer’s fingerprints would be updated as long as someone had access to it. Sophos stated in a review of Genesis Market from last year, “In other words, Genesis customers aren’t making a one-time buy of stolen information of unknown vintage; they’re paying for a de facto subscription to the victim’s information, even if that information changes. The Guardian quoted Will Lyne, the NCA’s head of cyberintelligence as saying, “Genesis Market is one of the top criminal access marketplaces anywhere in the world. Genesis Market is an enormous enabler of fraud and a range of other criminal activity online by facilitating that initial access to victims, which is a critical part of the business model in a whole range of nefarious activity.” On Genesis Market, both individuals and businesses had their information sold, which made it easier to commit fraud, ransomware attacks (in which hackers encrypt data and demand payment to decrypt it), sim-swapping (in which mobile phone numbers are taken over), and source code theft from businesses. “Operation Cookie Monster” On Tuesday, the FBI, NCA, and other agencies conducted a number of raids and detained 19 alleged site users. According to a statement from Europol, 119 persons were arrested worldwide, and more than 208 properties were searched in addition to 97 knock-and-talk operations. According to the seizure notice, the FBI called the takedown “Operation Cookie Monster,” a pun on the forum’s sale of “cookies,” or information about web browsers, reported CNN. The NCA believes that thousands of British victims have been targeted, and there were hundreds of users of the site in the UK. The FBI official claimed that Genesis victims suffered damages that “exceed tens of millions of dollars.” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement on Wednesday that the cybercrime sting against Genesis was “unprecedented” for law enforcement and that 45 of the FBI’s 56 field offices in the US were participating in the operation. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.