Operation Cookie Monster: Feds seize “notorious hacker marketplace”

Enlarge / Domain seizure message at genesis.market.

An international law enforcement operation shut down a “notorious hacker marketplace” that sold access to infected devices and stolen account credentials, the US Department of Justice and Europol announced today. The operation targeting Genesis Market involved 17 countries, seized the platform’s infrastructure, and resulted in “119 arrests, 208 property searches, and 97 knock-and-talk measures,” Europol said.

The now-shuttered Genesis Market “advertised and sold packages of account access credentials—such as usernames and passwords for email, bank accounts, and social media—that had been stolen from malware-infected computers around the world,” the Justice Department said. The so-called “Operation Cookie Monster” seized 11 domain names pursuant to a warrant authorized by the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

While Genesis Market’s public website was taken down, its .onion domain was still accessible on the dark web using Tor today. Law enforcement is apparently still looking for at least some of the people behind the platform, as the domain seizure message seeks tips from anyone who’s been in contact with Genesis Market administrators. The US Treasury Department said Genesis Market “is believed to be located in Russia.”