A Russian national behind the cybercriminal enterprise Infraud Organization has pleaded guilty on June 26 to racketeering conspiracy, due to his role as a co-founder and admin of the dark web-based carding portal which generated profits over $568 million. According to the announcement made by the U.S. Department of Justice, or DOJ, 33-year-old Sergey Medvedev, also known under the pseudonyms “Stells,” “segmed,” and “serjbear,” claimed responsibility for his role in the organization created in October 2010 by a Ukraine national, Svyatoslav Bondarenko. Medvedev pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge James C. Mahan in the District of Nevada. What is …

A Russian hacker was sentenced to nine years in prison by a U.S. court on June 26. The hacker, Aleksei Burkov, was previously considered to be of personal interest by Russian President, Vladimir Putin. Exclusive cybercrime with premium $5k membership fee Burkov was accused of running a website called “Cardplanet” which sold payment card information: “Many of the card numbers offered for sale belonged to U.S. citizens. The stolen credit card data sold on Burkov’s site has resulted in over $20 million in fraudulent purchases made using U.S. credit card accounts.” Allegedly Burkov also ran an exclusive invite-only club for …

A new report shows that a Kazakhstani hacker built a million dollar fortune by breaching private networks and selling their data. Researchers at threat intelligence company, Group-IB, said that the hacker, who operates under the pseudonym “Fxmsp,” began promoting their services across darknet. They posted data for sale on hacking-related forums, offering valuable resources stolen from private corporate networks. Some customers have taken to calling the hacker “The invisible god of networks.” Millionaire profits for Fxmsp According to the report, the magnitude of Fxmsp’s cybercriminal business is enormous. They reportedly accumulated $1.5 million in profits over three years by targeting …

Ransomware gang REvil, known for launching stolen data auctions on the dark web, is now leaking sensitive documents stolen from a US-based robotics company. According to an official blog post from REvil on June 11, the team has started leaking confidential data belonging to Symbotic LLC. The post noted: “You do not want to speak with us and you probably think that we will not publish your data. We are already publishing.” The cybercriminal group stated that they’d created a website and paid for the hosting for a year. They threatened to make the robotics company’s data visible for “a …

The Leicester Crown Court ordered the seizure of over £1.8 million ($2.29 million) on June 8 from a UK individual who operated a multi-billion crypto drug empire from the attic of his home. According to the Harborough Mail, Paul Johnson, 32, a former KFC employee, ran a darknet marketplace from his semi-detached house in Leicestershire. Johnson was also sentenced to eight years in prison in February. Illegal operations hidden behind a bogus tea-trading business A business studies graduate, Johnson posed as a tea trader as a cover for his international drug exchange. The authorities detailed that Johnson imported and sold …

Ransomware group REvil has started another auction on the dark web listing sensitive data stolen from two US-based law firms. The listing appeared June 6 through REvil’s official blog on the darknet, where bidders look to acquire 50GB of data from Fraser Wheeler & Courtney LLP and 1.2TB of data from the database of Vierra Magen Marcus LLP. Information auctioned includes client information, internal documentation of the company, electronic correspondence, patent agreements, business plans and projects, as well as new technologies that have yet to be patented. IP-related law firm among the victims The law firm Vierra Magen Marcus LLP …

A new study revealed that dark web marketplace users are starting to lose trust due to authorities’ crackdowns and “current volatility” within the landscape, which results in instability for the darknet sites to establish a fixed presence. According to cybersecurity company Trend Micro on Sunday, crackdowns on marketplaces Dream Market, Wall Street Market, Valhalla and DeepDotweb have generated uncertainty among users regarding the unstable security infrastructure that dark web sites have been providing. Fears of “exit scams” The report detailed that after March 2019, when law enforcement shut down darknet sites, sales activity experienced a considerable slowdown. Doubts began to …

Reports emerged on May 31 about a hacker that stole and leaked the database of Daniel’s Hosting (DH), the largest free web hosting provider in the darknet, and the home of several crypto-related forums and stores. The hacker —under the pseudonym “KingNull”— also claims to be part of the Anonymous collective and reportedly got the information after the second hacking suffered by DH on March 10, which resulted in 7,600 dark websites taken down. The fact forced the hosting provider to shut down its service and urged the users to migrate their sites to new ones on the dark web. …

A study from Crystal Blockchain Analytics on May 19 shows that the total USD value of Bitcoins transferred on the dark web rose by 65% in Q1 2020, despite a decline in transactions during the same period in 2019. According to the report, the total value of Bitcoin (BTC) transacted represented a 340% growth over three years. The analytics team claims that such figures could find explanation in mass adoption of the cryptocurrency, attributing it to its "ease of use and popularity" among darknet users and entities. The Bitcoin technology firm also unveiled that the total amount received by darknet …

A study by Rand Corporation unveiled that people using Zcash for illicit or criminal purposes in the dark web may not fully understand the underlying technology. According to the 65-page report published on May 7, the US-based think tank and government contractor highlighted that criminals have doubts regarding the anonymity offered by Zcash. The research highlights that the governance of Zcash and its branding as compliant with AML/CFT regulations may make it less susceptible to exploitation for illicit or criminal purposes. However, there is one aspect that the study reveals many criminal's perception of Zcash: market conditions, rather than specific …

The United States Attorney’s Office has seized a fraudulent COVID-19 domain name after its owner attempted to sell it in exchange for Bitcoin (BTC). The action follows Attorney General William Barr’s request that the department prioritize detecting and prosecuting illicit activities relating to the coronavirus pandemic. A warrant obtained by the U.S. The Department of Justice alleges that the owner of coronaprevention.org listed the domain for sale “on a hackers forum” the day after President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in response to COVID-19. The seller’s ad promoted the domain as an effective means to sell “high markup in …

Police from the U.K city of Leicestershire issued a statement regarding the February arrest of darknet vendor, Paul Johnson, on April 18. Johnson was jailed for eight years and is believed to have made more than $2.5 million from selling narcotics online. Leicestershire police officer, sergeant Phil Ariss, stated that “digital media investigators accompanied officers on the warrant,” leading to the seizure of roughly $375,300 in crypto assets. Phil Ariss has specialized in crypto policing since 2016 Ariss has predominantly dealt with cryptocurrency since he joined the East Midlands Special Operations Unit Cybercrime Team in 2016, and then the National …