Office of public affairs | Cracked and null markets disturbed in international cyber-operation

The Ministry of Justice has today announced its participation in a multinational operation involving actions in the United States, Romania, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Greece to disrupt and eliminate the Infrastructure of online cybercrime markets known as crack and zero. The operation was announced jointly with Talent Operation, a multinational operation for the application of the law supported by Europol to investigate cracking and canceled.

Official surveillance Antoinette T. Bacon of the Criminal Division of the Ministry of Justice, the American lawyer Trini E. Ross for the western New York district, the American lawyer Jaime Esparza for the western District of Texas, the deputy director Brian A. VORNDAN DE LA CYBER-DIVIVISION DU FBI, Special Agent in charge Matthew Miraglia from FBI Buffalo Field Office, and the special agent Aaron TAPP for the FBI field office San Antonio made the announcement.

Crack

According to the not sealed entry mandates today, the cracked market has sold connection identification information, hacking tools and servers to host malware and stolen data – as well as other tools to perform the Cybercrime and fraud since March 2018. Cracked had more than four million users, listed more than 28 million advertising messages from cybercrime tools and stolen information, generated around $ 4 million in revenues and had an impact on minus 17 million victims of the United States. A product announced on Cracked has offered access to “billions of disclosed websites” allowing users to search for stolen connection identification information. This product would have recently been used for Sextort and harass a woman in the western district of New York. More specifically, a cybercrimiral has entered the victim’s username in the tool and obtained the victim’s identification information for an online account. Using the victim’s references, the subject then cyberstalka the victim and sent sexually degrading and threatening messages to the victim. The entry of these markets is intended to disrupt this type of cybercrime and the proliferation of these tools in the cybercrime community.

The FBI, working in coordination with foreign partners in the application of laws, identified a series of servers that hosted the cracked market infrastructure and eight domain names used to operate Cracked. They also identified servers and domain names for the Cracked, Sellix payment processor, and the server and the domain name for a related panel accommodation service. All these domain servers and names have been seized in accordance with a national and international legal process. Anyone visiting one of these seized areas will now see a crisis banner which informs them that the field has been seized by the authorities of the law enforcement.

The FBI Buffalo field office is investigating the case.

The main lawyer Thomas Dougherty of the computer crime and intellectual property section of the Criminal Division (CCIPS) and the US deputy prosecutor Charles Kruly for the western New York district are pursuing the case.

Null

The Ministry of Justice has announced the seizure of the zero website and non -sealed accusations against one of the administrators of Noud, Lucas Sohn, 29, an Argentinian national residing in Spain. According to the affidavit of non -sealed complaints, the zero market has sold stolen connection securities, stolen identification documents, hacking tools, as well as other tools to perform cybercrime and fraud, since 2016. Null had more than five million users, listed more than 43 million positions, announcing cybercrime tools and stolen information, has generated around $ 1 million in annual income. A product announced on Noud claimed to contain the names and social security numbers of 500,000 American citizens.

The FBI, working in coordination with foreign partners in the law enforcement, identified the servers who hosted the infrastructure of the zero market and the field used to operate. The servers and the field have been seized in accordance with a national and international legal process. Anyone visiting the Nulen estate will now see a crisis banner which informs them that the field has been seized by the authorities of the law enforcement.

According to the complaint, SOHN was an active administrator of the entirely and filled on the website. Null customers would use SOHN’s services to carry out transactions involving stolen identification information and other information. For its actions, SOHN has been accused of conspiracy for password traffic and similar information through which computers can be accessible without authorization; Conspiracy to request another person in order to offer an access device or sell information concerning an access device; And conspire to own, transfer or use a means of identifying another person who intends to commit or help and be busy or in relation to any illegal activity which is a violation of the federal law.

If he is found guilty, Sohn risks a maximum sentence of five years in prison for conspiracy for the circulation of passwords, 10 years in prison for fraud on access systems and 15 years in prison for fraud to identity.

The FBI Austin Cyber ​​Task Force Investigation on the case. Participants in the working group include the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, the IRS Criminal Investigation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the Department of the Criminal Investigations of the Army, among other agencies.

The United States Deputy Lawyers G. Karthik Srinivasan and Christopher Mangels for the western District of Texas are pursuing the case, with the assistant prosecutor of the United States Mark Tindall for the western District of Texas who takes care of the Confiscation of Confiscation .

The Justice Department World in Close Cooperation with Investigators and Prosecutors from Several Jurisdictions on the Takedown of Both the Cracked and Null Marketplaces, Including the Australian Federal Police, Europol, France’s Anti-Cybercrime Office (Office Anti-Cybercriminality) and cyber division of The Paris Office of Pursuit, Federal Bureau of the Criminal Police of Germany (Bundeskriminalamt) and Office of the Attorney General Frankfurt Am Main – Cyber ​​Crime Center (GeneralStaatsanwaltschaft Frankfurt Am Main – Zit), the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) And Guardia Civil, the police hellénic (εληνική αστυομDie ία), Italy Polizia di stato and the general inspection of the Romanian police (Inspector General al Poliției Romane). The Ministry of Justice’s international affairs office has provided significant aid.

A complaint is only a allegation. All the defendants are presumed innocent until guilt is proven beyond all reasonable doubts in court.