April 6, 2023
The FBI and other foreign law enforcement organizations have seized the Genesis Market, a well-known marketplace for hackers to trade stolen passwords and digital fingerprints. The investigation, dubbed “Operation Cookie Monster,” enlisted the help of law enforcement organizations from all around the world, including the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, Canada, Germany, Poland, and Sweden.
The FBI announced the takedown, and visitors to the Genesis Market website are now met with a notification noting that a seizure warrant has been executed by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
Roughly 120 persons were detained as a consequence of the operation, while roughly 200 searches were undertaken globally. The National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom said that it had apprehended 19 suspected site users, including two males aged 34 and 36 who were arrested on suspicion of fraud and computer abuse. Although top FBI sources told TechCrunch that arrests had been made in the US as well, particular statistics are yet unclear.
Furthermore, the FBI provided “millions” of Genesis Market email addresses and passwords with the data breach reporting website Have I Been Pwned, allowing internet users to evaluate whether their information was exposed.
The sources for this piece include an article in TechCrunch.
