Notorious cybercrime forum Darkode, frequented by Lizard Squad and other hacking groups, has been taken offline in a coordinated international law enforcement clampdown across 20 countries.
The site has been seized by authorities, which now displays a notice of the clampdown from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in conjunction with Europol and 17 other international law enforcement agencies including the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).
Coinciding with the seizure, 28 people were arrested on Tuesday under charges of cybercrime offences by the joint cyber operation in countries including Israel, Germany, the UK, Sweden, Denmark, India and Romania, where 16 individuals were arrested, according to reports. The action brought the total of arrests under the operation to 70 across 20 countries.
The NCA confirmed that a 26-year-old man from Coventry was arrested on Tuesday by West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit and released on bail. Police in Scotland also raided an address in Paisley. The NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit had coordinated five previous arrests in relation to the site from around the UK, including four British nationals.
Steven Laval, senior investigating officer at the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, said: “Despite the exclusive nature of Darkode and the technical skills of its users, this action shows once again that we can identify and pursue those we believe are seeking to offend through an apparently secure online environment, far removed from their victims.”
It is understood that the FBI’s Pennsylvania field office led the operation, seizing the site.
Black market
Darkode’s forum has been used by cybercriminals as a black market to trade stolen data, credit card information, email addresses, hacking tools and information on bugs and vulnerabilities used to coordinate attacks on companies, agencies and governments.
Established in 2007, Darkode operated as a place to sell hacking tools. It was an invitation-only site, closed off from the outside world and hosted on so-called “bulletproof” web servers that resist law enforcement action.
Security researchers began taking an interest in 2011, leading to the site’s administrators clamping down on access. An internet relay chat server was set up, which was then used by hacking group Lizard Squad, who were responsible for a variety of cyberattacks on Sony, Microsoft, Taylor Swift and others.
According to reports in Brazil, an investigation into hackers in the country was opened in March this year by Federal Police in conjunction with the FBI, leading to the arrest of several people and seizure of the site’s equipment.
- This story was updated at 16.45 with confirmation of arrest details from the NCA.
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