A few months back, we wrote about how AlphaBay, the infamous dark web marketplace, has returned. For those who missed the history lesson, the original AlphaBay was closed down in 2017 following a joint law enforcement operation, which resulted in the arrest of one of the marketplace’s founding members, Alexandre Cazes (AKA “alpha02”). However, another […]
The Olympus cybercriminal marketplace has been caught up in another PR disaster, with the owners reportedly conducting an exit scam and stealing user funds. Early this month, discussions on the online Dread forum hinted that the highly regarded (emphasis on the past tense) Olympus went offline, though this was unconfirmed. Reasons for its sudden inactivity […]
It’s that time of year again. Summer is drawing to a close and retailers are making the most of the rush to stock up on supplies and learning materials before classes begin. However, as we highlighted last year in our Inside Online Carding Courses Designed for Cybercriminals report, a market has emerged for a very […]
Alternative Ways Criminals Transact Online: A Moving Target Last week, the cracking forum (specialized in tools for gaining unauthorized access to accounts) known as sentry[.]mba announced they were shifting their communication platform from Discord to Internet Relay Chat (IRC), a move caused by a “sudden ban wave” across the Discord platform. But why bother setting […]
Organizations rely on Digital Shadows (now ReliaQuest) to be an extension of their security team. Our global team of analysts provide relevant threat research, much needed context, tailored remediation advice and managed takedown support to make our clients’ jobs easier and more efficient. Crucially, by having analysts within the intelligence and collection cycle, we’re able […]
Since the takedowns of AlphaBay and Hansa in 2017, the cybercriminal community has been incorporating alternative technologies to improve both security and trust for those conducting illicit business online. Our latest report, Seize and Desist: The State of Cybercrime in the Post-AlphaBay and Hansa Age, looks at what technologies and processes have been the most popular. […]
It’s almost one year since the AlphaBay and Hansa dark web marketplace takedowns, also known as Operation Bayonet. Looking back, no single marketplace has managed to fill the AlphaBay-shaped gap left behind, at least among the English-speaking community. Existing sites such as Dream and Trade Route have failed to consolidate this empty space, hampered by […]
An enduring characteristic of dark web marketplaces is how frequently they’re offline, often through denial of services attacks. While marketplace administrators can stand to make big bucks, they’ve got their own threat models to be worried about: law enforcement, disgruntled consumers, and competitors Each of these have vested interests in seeing their site inaccessible. Tor […]
The law enforcement operations that took down the AlphaBay and Hansa marketplaces were meant to strike a sizable blow to the online trade of illegal goods and services. Frequenters of these services might now think twice before placing their trust in these unregulated platforms, and there may well be further arrests to follow as investigations […]
Last week we wrote about the disappearance of AlphaBay dark web marketplace and assessed three potential scenarios to look out for next. We briefly alluded to new models for criminal online commerce, such as those espoused by OpenBazaar. In this blog, we wanted to drill down into the drivers that would contribute to an increased […]