FBI, European Authorities Shut Down Two Major Cybercrime Forums
In a major global crackdown, the FBI and European authorities have seized domain names of two notorious cybercrime services, Cracked and Nulled. These platforms, with millions of users, were known for trafficking stolen data, hacking tools, and malware. A 29-year-old Argentinian national, Lucas Sohn, was arrested in Spain for his alleged role as an administrator of Nulled.
The operation, named 'Operation Talent', targeted both services and two anonymity services heavily promoted on them. The U.S. Department of Justice led the effort, seizing eight domain names used by Cracked and two by Nulled. The services were known for their large user bases - Nulled alone had over five million members. They sold stolen login credentials, identification documents, hacking services, and tools for cybercrime and fraud since 2016.
Following the seizure, administrators of another cybercrime service, StarkRDP, announced on Telegram that there were no charges against the proprietors of 1337 Services GmbH, which owned seized RDP services. They also revealed plans to move to a new name and domain. However, the founders of 1337 Services GmbH, Florian Marzahl and Finn Alexander Grimpe, did not respond to requests for comment.
Investigations suggest a possible link between the founders of 1337 Services GmbH and the cybercrime services. Both Cracked and Nulled have been hacked, exposing private messages that referred to 'Finndev' as the owner of Shoppy, an e-commerce platform catering to the same clientele as Sellix. Notably, Finn Grimpe's first name corresponds to the nickname of Nulled's founder.
The seizure of Cracked and Nulled is a significant blow to the cybercrime ecosystem. The operation demonstrates international cooperation in combating cybercrime. While the investigation continues, the lack of public information linking the founders of 1337 Services GmbH to the services leaves many questions unanswered. Authorities worldwide remain vigilant against the ever-evolving threat of cybercrime.
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