Europol, FBI Seize Nulled, Cracked Cybercrime Forums

Europol this week announced a law enforcement operation that led to the takedown of two of the largest cybercrime forums in the world. 

Key Details:

• The two platforms, called Cracked and Nulled, had more than 10 million users 

• The law enforcement operation took place between Jan. 28 and 30, and resulted in the arrest of two suspects and the seizure of 17 servers, 50 electronic devices, €300,000 in cash and cryptocurrencies, and 12 domains

• Law enforcement also took down other associated services, including a financial processor called Sellix that was utilized by Cracked, and the StarkRDP hosting service that was promoted on both platforms (and run by the same suspects)

Why It Matters: The crackdown on these platforms is another effort by global law enforcement agencies to target cybercriminal marketplaces (previous takedowns have included Genesis Market, SSNDOB, Rydox and more).

The operation is also another example of how agencies across different countries are getting better at coordinating in their targeting of cybercriminal marketplaces. Eight countries were involved in the takedown, including Australia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania, Spain, and the U.S.

The Background: The Cracked and Nulled platforms enabled cybercriminals to engage in conversation, buy and sell illegal goods, and offer cybercrime-as-a-service components like stolen data, malware or hacking tools. Europol estimated that suspects behind the platforms brought in more than €1 million in criminal profits. 

What Europol is Saying: Europol said that operations like this most recent one are aimed at platforms that make cybercrime more accessible to less sophisticated actors.

“These two forums also offered AI-based tools and scripts to automatically scan for security vulnerabilities and optimize attacks,” according to Europol’s press release. “Advanced phishing techniques are frequently developed and shared on these platforms, sometimes employing AI to create more personalised and convincing messages. As cybercrime becomes more aggressive and confrontational, Europol aims to strengthen the fight against this sort of crime by bringing relevant partners together for cross-border cooperation and joint action.”