Police Shut Down RaidForums Hackers

One of the world’s most notorious DarkNet hacking marketplaces, RaidForums, has been shut down and its infrastructure seized in a major cross-border law enforcement operation. The RaidForums hacker forum is used by cyber criminals to primarily buy and sell stolen databases.

RaidForums' UK-based founder Diogo Santos Coelho has been arrested in the UK and could be extradited to the US on charges of conspiracy, access device fraud, and aggravated identify theft.

Operation TOURNIQUET, which was coordinated by Europol in support of the independent investigations of the US, UK, Sweden, Portugal and Romania, also led to the arrest of the RaidForums’ administrator and two of his accomplices.

The operation was conducted after a year of collaborative planning and information-sharing between investigators and officers across the different police forces within the Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce framework. The information sharing system enabled security forces to paint a clear picture and establish the roles of different actors within the marketplace, such as administrators, money launderers, users, sellers, and buyers.

RaidForums was launched in 2015 and is believed to be one of the world’s largest hacking forums, boasting more than 500,000 users. Everything from credit card details to bank account numbers to usernames and passwords is sold on the forum.

One such example for sale on the site was 40 million user records stolen from popular mobile app Wishbone and the personal details of hundreds of thousands of individuals who tested for Covid-19 in 2020.

The Head of Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, Edvardas Šileris, commented. “Disruption has always been a key technique in operating against threat actors online, so targeting forums that host huge amounts of stolen data keeps criminals on their toes. Europol will continue working with its international partners to make cybercrime harder, and riskier, to commit.”

Europol have begun a major new operation designed to crack down on Russian oligarchs and businesses attempting to circumvent sanctions in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Operation Oscar will run for at least a year as an umbrella initiative that will feature many separate investigations, Europol explained. The policing organisation’s European Financial and Economic Crime Centre will work to exchange information and intelligence with partners and provide operational support in financial crime investigations.

RaidForums gained prominence in criminal circles by offering access to high-profile database leaks, which could be used to enable crimes like fraud.

According to the threat intelligence firm Recorded Future, the site contained more than 530,000 registered members and was a powerful tool among low to mid-level cyber-criminals. The compromised data, which hackers bought and sold, included information stolen from UK companies, some of which related to credit cards, bank accounts, usernames and passwords.

Europol:     Recorded Future:    Oodaloop:     Infosecurity Magazine:      ZDNet:      The Record

You Might Also Read: 

What Goes On In The Dark Web?:

 

« Microsoft Removes Domains Used For Cyber Attacks On Ukraine
Software Industry Mergers and Acquisitions 2022 »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Syxsense

Syxsense

Syxsense brings together endpoint management and security for greater efficiency and collaboration between IT management and security teams.

CSI Consulting Services

CSI Consulting Services

Get Advice From The Experts: * Training * Penetration Testing * Data Governance * GDPR Compliance. Connecting you to the best in the business.

Clayden Law

Clayden Law

Clayden Law advise global businesses that buy and sell technology products and services. We are experts in information technology, data privacy and cybersecurity law.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

Perimeter 81 / How to Select the Right ZTNA Solution

Perimeter 81 / How to Select the Right ZTNA Solution

Gartner insights into How to Select the Right ZTNA offering. Download this FREE report for a limited time only.

CloudEndure

CloudEndure

CloudEndure offers Disaster Recovery and Continuous Replication for the Cloud.

Digital Shadows

Digital Shadows

Digital Shadows is a cyber threat intelligence company that helps clients discover sensitive data exposed through social media, cloud services and mobile devices

BCS Financial

BCS Financial

BCS Financial delivers financial and insurance solutions. Specialty risk products include Cyber and Privacy Liability insurance.

Securepoint

Securepoint

Securepoint is the market leader in the development of professional “Unified Threat Management” solutions in Germany.

Cynerio

Cynerio

Cynerio develops cybersecurity protections for medical devices, comparing network behavior with a database of medical workflows.

Charities Security Forum (CSF)

Charities Security Forum (CSF)

The Charities Security Forum is the premier membership group for information security people working for charities and not-for-profits in the UK.

Com Laude

Com Laude

Com Laude is a domain name management company that provides strategic consulting to help companies strengthen digital brand, safeguard customers & protect brand IP.

Secureframe

Secureframe

Companies from startups to enterprises use Secureframe to automate SOC 2 and ISO 27001 compliance, complete audits, and continuously monitor their security.

Infosec Cloud

Infosec Cloud

Infosec Cloud is a specialist Cyber Security company offering fully managed Training & Testing Services in addition to market leading Cyber Security technology and accredited professional services.

CITRA - Information Security and Emergency Response

CITRA - Information Security and Emergency Response

CITRA is responsible for overseeing the telecommunications sector, monitoring and protecting the interests of users and service providers, and regulating the services of telecomms networks in Kuwait.

StateRAMP

StateRAMP

StateRAMP reduces risk from unsecure cloud solutions and protects data by providing State and local governments a standardized approach for verifying and monitoring security postures.

Udacity

Udacity

Udacity's mission is to train the world’s workforce in the careers of the future. Our programs range from beginner to expert levels and deliver the hands-on skills for real-world expertise.

Schneider Downs

Schneider Downs

Schneider Downs & Co. provides accounting, tax and business advisory services through innovative thought leaders who deliver their expertise to meet the individual needs of each client.

National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC)

National Cybersecurity Consortium (NCC)

The NCC’s mandate is to keep Canada’s cyber and critical infrastructures and citizens safe while ensuring Canada’s global competitiveness and leadership in cybersecurity.

Valeo Nertworks

Valeo Nertworks

Valeo Nertworks is a full-service Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP). We partner with organizations to remove the burden of technology so that they can focus on growing their business.

Hushmesh

Hushmesh

Hushmesh is a start-up aimed at securing the world’s digital infrastructure by developing develop the Mesh, a global information space with automated security built in.