Darkcode Hacking Forum Forced Offline

_84294163_18a88358-ca49-4034-8bb2-83e2f414f410.jpg

 

Darkode - a notorious hacking forum used by Lizard Squad and other cybercriminals - has been shut down after an investigation carried out by authorities in 20 countries.

The Darkode forum, which was created about six years ago, can no longer be accessed

"We have dismantled a cyber-hornets' nest... which was believed by many, including the hackers themselves, to be impenetrable," said one of the US state attorneys involved.

Twenty-eight people have been arrested. They include a 26-year-old man from Coventry, England. In addition, the UK's National Crime Agency said an address in Paisley, Scotland, had been searched and material removed for examination. It said that five other suspected members of the site had previously been arrested.

The FBI added that dozens of other people linked to the site had been charged or had their property searched as part of the inquiry.
Restricted access

Darkode's members allegedly used the site to trade and to share hacking tools and information, including details of zero-day attacks - techniques that exploited flaws in products that neither their creators nor the wider security industry were aware of, and thus could not be protected against.

This information was password-protected. "Only those proposed for membership by an existing user could join, but not until they posted a resume of the skills and achievements that could contribute to the criminal community," explained the NCA.

"There was a hierarchical membership structure, and the status of users determined who they could communicate with, and their access to the commodities and services on offer."

Although the site was not accessible to the general public, it was profiled extensively by the security blogger Brian Krebs, who posted several screenshots on his site. "Most of the cybercrime forums are in Russian or some other language that's not English, but this was an English-language forum," he told the BBC. "And it was a sort of meeting ground for cybercriminals from different nationalities and languages.

He added that the forum's visitors included members of Lizard Squad - a group of hackers, which has carried out high-profile attacks on Sony, Microsoft and others.

"The guy that was most recently the admin of the forum used the nickname Sp3c," Mr Krebs recalled. "He was a leading member of the Lizard Squad. What's interesting is that you don't see his name in the lists of those that were apprehended or charged as part of this.

"I don't really know what that means, but there was a definite connection between the Lizard Squad and this forum, at least in the last year or so."
The FBI said that Operation Shrouded Horizon had indicated up to 300 people had used the forum.

"During the investigation, the bureau focused primarily on the Darkode members responsible for developing, distributing, facilitating and supporting the most egregious and complex cybercriminal schemes targeting victims and financial systems," it said.

It added that its counterparts in Australia, Bosnia, Brazil, Israel, Colombia and Nigeria were among those involved in the international crackdown, and that efforts to trace other suspects were "ongoing".

BBC: http://bbc.in/1O89TTA

« Nonstop Cyber Attack - Israel Builds Hack-Proof Defense
Disclosure: Internet companies Face UK Tax Crackdown »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

Authentic8

Authentic8

Authentic8 transforms how organizations secure and control the use of the web with Silo, its patented cloud browser.

The PC Support Group

The PC Support Group

A partnership with The PC Support Group delivers improved productivity, reduced costs and protects your business through exceptional IT, telecoms and cybersecurity services.

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout

DigitalStakeout enables cyber security professionals to reduce cyber risk to their organization with proactive security solutions, providing immediate improvement in security posture and ROI.

BackupVault

BackupVault

BackupVault is a leading provider of automatic cloud backup and critical data protection against ransomware, insider attacks and hackers for businesses and organisations worldwide.

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

CSIRT Malta

CSIRT Malta

CSIRT Malta supports critical infrastructure organisations in Malta on how to protect their information infrastructure assets and systems from cyber threats and incidents.

Bittium

Bittium

Bittium provides proven information security solutions for mobile devices and portable computers.

Cyber8Lab

Cyber8Lab

Cyber8Lab provides cybersecurity training programmes simulating real world cybersecurity incidents such as web defacement, malware, phishing, digital forensics analysis and wireless intrusion.

Lithuanian National Accreditation Bureau

Lithuanian National Accreditation Bureau

Lithuanian National Accreditation Bureau is the national accreditation body for Lithuania. The directory of members provides details of organisations offering certification services for ISO 27001.

AppGuard

AppGuard

AppGuard prevents breaches by blocking applications from performing inappropriate processes using our patented dynamic isolation and inheritance technologies.

Cyber Security Cloud (CSC)

Cyber Security Cloud (CSC)

Cyber Security Cloud provides web application security services worldwide using world's leading cyber threat intelligence and AI technology.

Spamhaus

Spamhaus

Spamhaus is the world leader in supplying realtime highly accurate threat intelligence to the Internet's major networks.

North American International Cyber Summit

North American International Cyber Summit

The North American International Cyber Summit brings together experts from around the globe to provide timely content and address a variety of cybersecurity issues impacting the world.

SecureAge Technology

SecureAge Technology

We’re a rapidly growing cybersecurity company with an 18-year history of ZERO Data breaches. Our security solutions place security and usability on equal footing. Learn more about our technology.

Contechnet Deutschland

Contechnet Deutschland

Contechnet Deutschland started as a specialist in the area of IT disaster recovery and has since broadened its portfolio into information security and data protection.

Pathway Communications

Pathway Communications

Established in 1995, Pathway Communications – is part of the Pathway Group of Companies, a Canadian IT Managed Services organization.

Ghost Security

Ghost Security

Ghost is a venture backed, product-led startup building the new standard in application security for the modern enterprise.

Nicoll Curtin

Nicoll Curtin

Nicoll Curtin is a global company with over 20 years of experience in connecting outstanding talent with industry leading companies within Technology, Change and Cyber Security.

Obsidian Security

Obsidian Security

Protect your business-critical applications by mitigating threats and reducing risk with Obsidian, the first truly comprehensive security solution for SaaS.

Synersoft BLACKbox

Synersoft BLACKbox

Synersoft, the maker of path-breaking and disruptive technology for SMEs, now branded as BLACKbox, is an incubated and invested portfolio company of CIIE - IIM-Ahmedabad.

Roundsec

Roundsec

Roundsec provide information security services including risk assessment and pentesting of sites and apps.