In an unprecedented police operation, the European police “Europol” announced on Wednesday that thanks to an international security operation, one of the largest electronic hacking platforms in the world, which was selling data belonging to stolen accounts, was been closed.
Europol said in a statement that the unprecedented police operation involving 17 countries has made it possible to dismantle the Genesis Market, one of the most dangerous electronic markets dedicated to crime in the world.
Users who are now accessing Genesis will see a message that the website has been taken over by the Federal Bureau of United States investigation.
In a series of raids, the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested 24 suspected users of the site, and globally, 200 searches and 120 arrests were made.
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A international the operation involving the National Crime Agency was undertaken down one of the biggest online sales markets stolen credentials to criminals around the world.
FULL STORY ➡️ https://t.co/Owo1p2A2ku photo.twitter.com/nHuKI9kXxc
— National Crime Agency (NCA) (@NCA_UK) April 5, 2023
The Genesis market had in sale 80 million set of credentials and digital fingerprints, which the NSA has described as a “huge driver of fraud.”
“Criminals have long stolen the credentials of innocent members of the public,” said Robert Jones, director general of the NCA’s National Economic Crime Center.
Genesis Market sold login details, IP addresses and other data that made up victims’ “fingerprints”, according to the BBC.
Fingerprints… addresses and passwords
It claims that Genesis Market trades on the web open, not only on the dark web. Created in 2017, it has an easy to use interface in English. It was also a one-stop shop for login credentials that enabled fraud online.
Users can also purchase login information, including passwords, and other parts of a victim’s “fingerprint,” such as browser history, cookies, autofill form data, IP address, and location. This allowed scammers to gain access to bank accounts, emails, purchases, forward deliveries, and even change passwords without arousing suspicion. Logins for sale also included passwords for Facebook, PayPal, Netflix, Amazon, eBay, Uber, and Airbnb accounts.
Genesis has also provided its customers with a specially designed browser that uses the stolen data to mimic the computer of a victim, in so that it appears that they are accessing their account using their usual device in their usual location.
