14 DAY TRIAL // In a joint operation that included law enforcement agencies from 20 countries, the infamous Darkode hacking forum has been taken down.
Darkode, an ill-famed meeting place for top level hackers, was notorious for its though registration process which granted access only to users that could prove they were professionals at their craft, and had tricks and software to share or sell to others.
Some of the hacking tools that exchanged hands on the forum include malware, zero-day exploits, rentable botnets, and access to compromised servers.
Darkode was also the place where the high-profile Lizard Squad hacking group was also formed, which later on went to disrupt the Tor, PlayStation and Xbox networks in December 2014.
With a userbase of 250 to 300 members, Interpol had it ranked amongst the top five most prolific hacking forums online.
20 countries participated in the Darkode raid
Yesterday, in an operation coordinated by the FBI from its Pittsburgh base, together with Europol's EC3 (European Cybercrime Centre), and with law enforcement agencies in 20 other countries, the forum's domain name was seized.
Alongside, 28 arrests were also made, 12 people were charged, 37 houses were searched, and numerous computers and various types of equipment were confiscated.
Countries that participated in the raid outside the US include Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Colombia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Germany, Israel, Latvia, Nigeria, Romania, Serbia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
TribLIVE reporters were invited in the FBI offices while the operation was carried out, and agents told them that one of their agents infiltrated the forum by posing as a cyber-criminal.
Some of the details that emerged from the operation show how common, cheap and easy was to sell personal information on the forum, and why it got the attention of authorities in the first place.
"One hacker offered 3.7 million records from a compromised online dating site for $110," according to TribLIVE, and "a spammer offered to send up to 1 million emails for $500 (or $400 for frequent buyers)."