Operation Cookie Monster and Genesis Market

April 10, 2023

The FBI and the Justice Department recently led a massive operation to combat illicit state-backed cybercrime. Dubbed “Operation Cookie Monster,” the effort involved an international consortium of law enforcement authorities and resulted in the seizure of Genesis Market, a Russia-linked marketplace that sold tens of millions of hacked accounts to cybercriminals around the world. The effort also included 400 law enforcement operations and 208 searches across more than a dozen countries.

Genesis Market: A sophisticated, globe-spanning infrastructure

Genesis Market was one of the two largest venues for the purchase and sale of hacked accounts. It had a sophisticated, globe-spanning infrastructure that compromised some 1 million devices. The market profited out of malware-infected computer systems by compiling stolen private data, like email addresses, mobile device identifiers, usernames, and passwords. It also sold unauthorized access to computer systems. According to estimates of the Treasury, the cost of the illegal activities of the Genesis Market is around tens of millions of dollars.

The largest operation of its kind

The takedown of Genesis Market is the largest ever operation of its kind. The FBI’s commitment to disrupting and dismantling key services used by cybercriminals to facilitate cybercrime is demonstrated by the success of Operation Cookie Monster. The effort targeted both the operators of the service and its users.

International cooperation is crucial

Records show that Genesis domain names were linked to nameservers in Russia and China, two nations that have been named as loci for state-sponsored hacking. Treasury said it believes Genesis to be located in Russia. Genesis’ user base was spread across dozens of countries, emphasizing the importance of international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime.

Sanctions against Genesis Market

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against Genesis Market, along with the takedown of its domain names. The effort is a continuation of the Justice Department’s work against crypto exchange Bitzlato earlier this year. Bitzlato was described as an alleged haven for criminal activity with overt links to a Russian dark web marketplace.

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