Law enforcement of multiple countries has come together to take down the expanding dark web marketplace called Genesis. This illegal and illicit marketplace was widely used and popular among cybercriminals. The operation was named an operation cookie monster and was headed by the FBI and after 200 searches almost 120 arrests were made. In total, 17 countries contributed their expertise and approval for the project.
Rise of Genesis Market
Almost 5 years ago, Genesis, one of the influential online marketplaces, came to birth. The platform contained over 2 million stolen fingerprints and over 80 million credentials. These credentials were then used in hacking and identity theft.
These fingerprints were stolen via computers that are infected with malicious software. Fingerprints may at times include operating system details, cookies, credentials, and internet protocol addresses. All this information was then used to bypass anti-fraud solutions like device fingerprinting and multi-factor authentication.
The platform sold all these credentials for as low as 70 cents and the amount may go as high as hundreds of dollars.
Genesis offered a subscription service to all its users. This service allowed them to access all the information. This information was regularly updated. Users had to pay regularly to access these files. The users were notified whenever new information was added.
The availability of data in one place works as an incentive for hackers to use this platform. Getting access to the website is not difficult rather just knowledge about the the site works too. The market lowered its barriers and allowed easy entry for all groups and cybercriminals.
In life, if one gets something easily then they either take it for granted or misuse it that’s what exactly happened with Genesis. The straightforward availability of credentials made its users and buyers to hack everything easily and this led to an increase in targets. More and more innocent people fell victim to their trap. But this trap helped the authorities to find out about the hackers and their way of working.
Operation Cookie Monster
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Fall of genesis
The operation, as mentioned earlier, involved 17 countries. These countries coordinated arrests and raids across the world. In total a group of 56 FBI officials was made to lead the operation in which 45 officers were from the US.
One by one, users were arrested. Arresting all users was impossible due to the big volume but some much-needed and crucial arrests were made. Regular and prominent users were arrested. The web domain was also seized. A sense of relief was felt by victims and many organizations when the site of Genesis was plastered with a banner that belonged to FBI showing the seizure of the site. To this, Britain’s National Crime Agency confirmed, whose logo was also present on the banner, “participating in an international law enforcement operation targeting cyber criminals”. Nothing was said further. The deputy attorney of US’s justice department, Lisa Monac, also confirmed arrest of many users and the investigation is still going on. The US Treasury Department supported the sanctions against the market.
The website has been completely taken offline. Without the involvement and approval of Russian government, individuals of upper management can not be arrested because the market is based in Russia.
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Supporters of the operation
The countries involved included Canada, Australia, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Finland, France, Estonia, the UK, Germany, the US, New Zealand, Iceland, Romania, Italy and Sweden.
The officials believe it is impossible to arrest all hackers due to the volume but just the removal of this marketplace will decrease the number of attacks and will some relief.
What is there for illicit marketplaces after Genesis’s shutdown?
With the takedown of Genesis, other markets are suffering too. This shutdown has left a ripple effect on all sellers and buyers. These buyers and sellers are now looking for some alternatives. Genesis was considered the hub for all illegal cyberwork. It had the most number of credentials and monthly a million of credentials were traded via Genesis. The gap left by Genesis will not be filled easily. As per TRM, the marketplace earned “almost USD 8 million in revenue between February 2018 and May 2022”. Genesis received these payments via crypto exchanges, P2P crypto marketplaces, and payment services. By this number, one can understand how many users used it.
There will come some new marketplace like this but we still have to wait for that. Building a marketplace like Genesis will not be easy and not a one day task. Whenever a major player falls, others try to take its place. But for now many organisations can take a breath of relief. Authorities at the same time need to keep their eyes open for any future marketplace and need to work in this same direction.
Conclusion
The shutdown of Genesis leaves us all with a lot of questions. This is just the beginning. Law enforcement authorities need to keep a focus on these marketplaces regularly. But in long run, Law enforcement is not the solution for these problems. On one hand, authorities are coming up with new measures to prevent such marketplaces from expanding on the other hand countries like Russia give them a safe playground to play. So these platforms are not going anywhere. This is a never-ending vicious circle. No authority can stop the emergence of these criminal web marketplaces. However, The shut down of Genesis should be celebrated
Incidents like these again emphasize enhanced cyber security and awareness. Everybody should use strong passwords, check everything before using, and keep their software updated. If anybody spots unusual then they should immediately inform the respective authorities. At the same time, not all platforms can be taken down so it becomes our own responsibility to protect ourselves. Every user needs to expand its horizon of knowledge and fight his or her own battle. Our protection is in our own hands.
