Recently, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) has closed down a Russia-based online platform for trading hacked information, following the arrest of its claimed administrator on hacking charges, officials declared Tuesday.
As the platform, DEER.IO enabled criminals to obtain access to “cyber storefronts” to trade illegal wares, including hacked business information and entrance to hacked social media accounts, as per a statement from the office of the U.S. Attorney’s office in San Diego.
However, the platform declared as DEER.IO allegedly allowed individuals to sell and buy illegal products or services with sales surpassing $17 million since Oct 2013. Computer files, financial data, and negotiated user accounts for various national and international organizations were ready for purchase on the platform.
If a person desired to sell narcotics, they would set up a storefront on DEER.IO for a recurrent fee of 800 Rubles, which is about $12.50. While the FBI obtained a large amount of private information form the platform for less than $700 and was capable to learn names, dates of birth, and social security numbers of a number of people from San Diego, California, from that data.
Moreover, FBI agents arrested Firsov, a Russian cyber hacker, on March 7 in New York City. Firsov not only maintained the DEER.IO platform, but he also posted it on other cyber forums, which provisioned to hackers. Thus, Firsov is next list to appear on April 16, 2020, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison H. Goddard.
As per a federal charge, DEER.IO virtual stores allowed for the sale of various types of hacked and/or endangered U.S. and international financial and corporate data, Personally Identifiable Information (PII), and negotiated user accounts from many U.S. companies.
Not only that, even the people could also purchase computer files, financial information, PII, and usernames and passwords taken from computers affected with ill-disposed software (malware) placed both in the U.S. and abroad.
Thus, Law enforcement got no legitimate business promoting its duties and/or products by a DEER.IO storefront. Thus, store operators and customers entered the storefront through the internet. Especially, in this situation, the FBI made buying from DEER.IO storefronts received on Russian servers.
In March, FBI investigators purchased about 1,100 gamer accounts and thousands of PII accounts from various Deer.io shops. They reinforced 249 gamer accounts that were linked to a particular company, which verified the accounts were genuine and could allow an attacker entrance to a victim’s media library and connected payment methods. The PII accounts published the data which is utilized by the FBI to identify names, birthdates, and Social Security numbers for American citizens.
However, the Special Agent of FBI, Omer Meisel, has declared, “Deer.io was the most comprehensive centralized platform, which developed and promoted the sale of compromised social media and commercial accounts, hacked computers on the internet and the Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
Moreover, the concerns of this criminal website express a vital step in decreasing stolen data as if you don’t know, then let me clarify that they are simply used to victimize the individuals and businesses in the United States and abroad as well. Hence, the FBI will proceed to be at the forefront of defending Americans from foreign and domestic cybercriminals.”
The office continues its sensitivity to the New York Division of U.S. Customs and Border Protection operating at John F. Kennedy International Airport and to private sector cyber-security business Black Echo LLC, which presented support throughout the whole investigation. Thus, report cybercrimes by registering a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, by visiting or calling your local FBI office or 1800 CALL FBI.
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Also Read: WeLeakInfo.com Domain Seized by Law enforcement Agencies for Selling Access to Breached Data
