Genesis Market raided in international sting

Welcome to the Darknet Summary!

In this month’s episode of the Darknet Summary, we talk about the latest FBI-led international sting on Genesis Market - one of the largest cybercrime platforms. The sting, known as Operation Cookie Monster, was a coordinated action involving law enforcement agencies in 14 countries. It resulted in the initial arrests of 119 people, from operators of Genesis Market’s domains down to suppliers who provided stolen data for later use in fraud activities.

Genesis Market was raided - what we know so far...

In the early afternoon of Tuesday 04 April, users of Genesis Market trying to access their clearnet sites were met with an FBI seizure notice on the homepage. The site was down. The operation was based on a warrant issued by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

We know that 199 people have been arrested to date, mainly in the US, and across various European countries. A further 208 searches and interviews have taken place. Interestingly, the U.S. DOJ was able to access the user database of Genesis Market, which apparently has 59,000 registered users. More users could potentially have their real identities uncovered, which could lead to more potential arrests...

Nethone’s Intelligence Specialist Michał Barbaś is here to explain the importance of Genesis Market to cybercriminals and how the sting operation impacts the overall fight against fraud.