The U.S. Justice Department personnel has dismantled a major criminal marketplace that allegedly enabled cybercriminals to victimize individuals, businesses and governments globally.
“Our seizure of Genesis Market should serve as a warning to cybercriminals who operate or use these criminal marketplaces: the Justice Department and our international partners will shut down your illegal activities, find you and bring you to justice,” Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, who referenced the work of 45 FBI Field Offices and international partners, said.
Genesis Market, an alleged criminal online marketplace, allegedly advertised and sold packages of account access credentials that included usernames and passwords for email, bank accounts and social media – stolen from malware-infected computers around the world.
“Genesis falsely promised a new age of anonymity and impunity, but in the end only provided a new way for the Department to identify, locate and arrest on-line criminals,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco said. “The Department of Justice is shining a light on the internet’s darkest corners – in the last year alone, our agents, prosecutors, and partners have dismantled the darknet’s largest marketplaces – Hydra Market, BreachForums, and now Genesis. Each takedown is yet another blow to the cybercrime ecosystem.”
According to the Justice Department, since its inception in March 2018, Genesis Market has offered access to data stolen from over 1.5 million compromised computers worldwide, containing over 80 million account access credentials.
“Along with investigative partners and our Justice Department colleagues, my office remains committed to using all available tools to protect individuals from cybercriminals like those who operate these types of online marketplaces,” U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin Gregory Haanstad said.