In a major win for law enforcement agencies across the world, the notorious Genesis criminal marketplace offering access to stolen account credentials and compromised device information has been shut down in a coordinated global law enforcement crackdown,
The invite-only criminal marketplace was taken down by the FBI and Dutch National Police in collaboration with law enforcement agencies from Australia, the UK and other European countries in early morning raids on Tuesday.
The investigation, known as Operation Zinger, involved the Australian Federal Police (AFP), NSW Police Force, Victoria Police, Queensland Police Service and Western Australia Police Force.
Genesis Market provided login credentials, browsing history, autofill form data and other sensitive data that was stolen from compromised devices.
What's more, the Dutch Police have developed a portal to help determine if personal details have been compromised on Genesis Market.
The public can visit www.politie.nl/checkyourhack to check if their details were available on the marketplace.
Today, the #FBI successfully disrupted Genesis Market, a dark market allowing users to commit cybercrimes by targeting victims worldwide and selling their stolen digital fingerprints. Read more about this collective effort at https://t.co/ROptLN7Jdx pic.twitter.com/JyqQEO0RI8— FBI (@FBI) April 5, 2023
$46 million harm averted
During the operation, 24 search warrants were executed in Australia and 10 individuals were arrested in three states, including a Victorian man whom police allege is the most prolific purchaser of compromised information in Australia.
The AFP has warned that further arrests are anticipated in the coming weeks as operational activity continues.
At the time of the takedown, Genesis Market had access to more than 1.5 million compromised computers, each containing information for dozens of accounts.
The marketplace had the potential to cause $46 million in harm to the Australian community through the sale of stolen Australian credentials and access to compromised Australian devices, according to AFP Assistant Commissioner Cyber Command Scott Lee.
Australian investigation
The Australian arm of the investigation began in 2020 after investigators from the AFP’s Cyber Command received information from the FBI regarding potential users of the site.
AFP investigators worked closely with domestic law enforcement partners through the Joint Policing Cybercrime Coordination Centre (JPC3) to link the information to Australian-based users.
In response to the takedown, NSW Police Force’s Cybercrime Squad Commander, Acting Superintendent Jason Smith, urged individuals to ensure their cybersecurity is up to scratch and to report any suspicious activity on their accounts.
Meanwhile, Victoria Police Acting Commander Jane Welsh highlighted the effectiveness of a global law enforcement response to cybercrime.
A well-known criminal marketplace offering access to stolen account credentials and compromised device information has been shut down following an international investigation led by the FBI and assisted by the AFP, NSWPF, VICPOL, QPS and WAPOLhttps://t.co/Pg69gKipIx— AFP (@AusFedPolice) April 5, 2023
Among the arrests was a Box Hill man, 31, whom police will allege spent more than US$38,000 purchasing information from the marketplace.
The man was arrested on a NSW warrant on March 24, 2023, in Victoria, where he had been living after breaching bail for a fraud offence.
The AFP has charged the man with several offences relating to his purchases from the site and alleged instances of fraud using stolen information.