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AlphaBay Shut Down After Police Raid; Alleged Founder Commits Suicide in Jail

AlphaBay Shut Down After Police Raid; Alleged Founder Commits Suicide in Jail
Jul 14, 2017
AlphaBay Market — one of the largest Dark Web marketplaces for drugs, guns, and other illegal goods — that mysteriously went dark earlier this month without any explanation from its admins has reportedly been shut down by the international authorities. On July 4th, the dark web marketplace suddenly went down without any explanation from its admins, which left its customers who have paid large sums in panic. Some customers even suspected that the site's admins had pulled an exit scam to steal user funds. However, according to the Wall Street Journal , the disappearance of the AlphaBay came after authorities in the United States, Canada, and Thailand collaborated to conduct a series of raids and arrest  Alexandre Cazes , who allegedly was one of the AlphaBay's operators. Citing "people familiar with the matter," the publication claims that Cazes, a resident of Canada, was arrested in Thailand and taken into custody in Bangkok on July 5th, the same day the

AlphaBay Dark Web Market Goes Down; Users Fear Exit-Scam

AlphaBay Dark Web Market Goes Down; Users Fear Exit-Scam
Jul 06, 2017
AlphaBay Market, one of the largest Dark Web marketplaces for drugs, guns, and other illegal goods, suddenly disappeared overnight without any explanation from its admins, leaving its customers who have paid large sums in panic. AlphaBay , also known as "the new Silk Road," has been shut down since Tuesday night. The site also came in the news at the beginning of this year when a hacker successfully hacked the AlphaBay site and stole over 200,000 private unencrypted messages from several users. Although the website sometimes goes down for maintenance, customers are speculating that the admins have stolen all their Bitcoins for good measure, when heard no words from the site's admins on the downtime. Some users at Reddit and Twitter are claiming that AlphaBay's admins may have shut down the marketplace to withdraw a huge number of bitcoins from the site's accounts. The withdrawal Bitcoin transactions total 1,479.03904709 Bitcoin (roughly $3.8 Million),

AI Copilot: Launching Innovation Rockets, But Beware of the Darkness Ahead

AI Copilot: Launching Innovation Rockets, But Beware of the Darkness Ahead
Apr 15, 2024Secure Coding / Artificial Intelligence
Imagine a world where the software that powers your favorite apps, secures your online transactions, and keeps your digital life could be outsmarted and taken over by a cleverly disguised piece of code. This isn't a plot from the latest cyber-thriller; it's actually been a reality for years now. How this will change – in a positive or negative direction – as artificial intelligence (AI) takes on a larger role in software development is one of the big uncertainties related to this brave new world. In an era where AI promises to revolutionize how we live and work, the conversation about its security implications cannot be sidelined. As we increasingly rely on AI for tasks ranging from mundane to mission-critical, the question is no longer just, "Can AI  boost cybersecurity ?" (sure!), but also "Can AI  be hacked? " (yes!), "Can one use AI  to hack? " (of course!), and "Will AI  produce secure software ?" (well…). This thought leadership article is about the latter. Cydrill  (a

French Police Seize 6 Tor Relay Servers in WannaCry Investigation

French Police Seize 6 Tor Relay Servers in WannaCry Investigation
Jun 11, 2017
WannaCry , the biggest ransomware attack in the history, gained prominence very rapidly in the media globally after the ransomware infected more than 300,000 computers in over 150 countries within just 72 hours. Governments, Intelligence agencies and law enforcement around the world have already started their investigations and are working closely with affected companies to track down hackers responsible for the global cyber attack launched on Friday, 12th May. Some researchers traced back WannaCry to a state-sponsored hacking group in North Korea, while other believed the perpetrators might be Chinese . If you have been following WannaCry coverage on The Hacker News, you should be aware of that the WannaCry ransomware uses Tor hidden service to communicate with its command-and-control server. Just yesterday, we came to know that French authorities had seized at least 6 Tor's entry guard node servers, hosted on France-based hosting providers, just two days after the o

Today's Top 4 Identity Threat Exposures: Where To Find Them and How To Stop Them

cyber security
websiteSilverfort Identity Protection / Attack Surface
Explore the first ever threat report 100% focused on the prevalence of identity security gaps you may not be aware of.

Hacker Selling Over 1 Million Decrypted Gmail and Yahoo Passwords On Dark Web

Hacker Selling Over 1 Million Decrypted Gmail and Yahoo Passwords On Dark Web
Mar 06, 2017
Hardly a day goes without headlines about any significant data breach. In past year, billions of accounts from popular sites and services, including LinkedIn , Tumblr , MySpace , Last.FM , Yahoo! , VK.com were exposed on the Internet. Now, according to the recent news, login credentials and other personal data linked to more than one Million Yahoo and Gmail accounts are reportedly being offered for sale on the dark web marketplace. The online accounts listed for sale on the Dark Web allegedly contain usernames, emails, and plaintext passwords. The accounts are not from a single data breach; instead, several major cyber-attacks believed to have been behind it. The hacker going by the online handle 'SunTzu583' has listed a number of cracked email packages on a series of dark websites, HackRead reported. Here's the Full List of Accounts and their Prices: 100,000 Yahoo accounts acquired from 2012 Last.FM data breach , for 0.0084 Bitcoins ($10.76). Another 1

AlphaBay Dark Web Marketplace Hacked; Exposes Over 200,000 Private Messages

AlphaBay Dark Web Marketplace Hacked; Exposes Over 200,000 Private Messages
Jan 25, 2017
AlphaBay, possibly the largest active dark web marketplace at the moment, has paid a hacker after he successfully exploited vulnerabilities in the internal mailing system of the website and hijacked over 200,000 private unencrypted messages from several users. The hacker, using the pseudonym Cipher0007, disclosed two "high-risk bugs" two days ago on Reddit that allowed him to gain access to troves of private messages belonging to buyers and sellers on the dark website, AlphaBay admins announced on Tuesday. It turns out that the messages were not encrypted by default, which gave the hacker ability to view all messages between vendors and buyers selling and purchasing everything from illicit drugs to exploits, malware, and stolen data. Over 218,000 Private Messages of Anonymous Dealers Exposed To prove he had successfully compromised the AlphaBay website, the hacker posted five screenshots of random user private conversations, showing that AlphaBay users had op

State-Sponsored SCADA Malware targeting European Energy Companies

State-Sponsored SCADA Malware targeting European Energy Companies
Jul 13, 2016
Security researchers have discovered a new campaign targeting energy companies in Western Europe with a sophisticated malware that almost goes to great lengths in order to remain undetected while targeting energy companies. Researchers from SentinelOne Labs discovered the malware, which has already infected at least one European energy company, is so sneaky and advanced that it is likely believed to be the work of a wealthy nation. The malware, dubbed ' SFG ', contains about 280 kilobytes of code, featuring a vast arsenal of tools rarely seen in ordinary malware samples. It takes " extreme measures " to cleverly and stealthily evade a large number of security defenses before it drops its payload. The malware dismantles antiviruses processes one-by-one until the malware is finally safe to uninstall them all. It also encrypts key features of its code so that it could not be discovered and analyzed. It'll not execute itself if it senses it's being run in

Mozilla asks Court to disclose Firefox Exploit used by FBI to hack Tor users

Mozilla asks Court to disclose Firefox Exploit used by FBI to hack Tor users
May 13, 2016
Mozilla has filed a brief with a U.S. District Court asking the FBI to disclose the potential vulnerabilities in its Firefox browser that the agency exploited to unmask TOR users in a criminal investigation. Last year, the FBI used a zero-day flaw to hack TOR browser and de-anonymize users visiting child sex websites. Now, Mozilla is requesting the government to ask the FBI about the details of the hack so that it can ensure the security of its Firefox browser. TOR is an anonymity software that provides a safe haven to human rights activists, government, journalists but also is a place where drugs, child pornography, assassins for hire and other illegal activities has allegedly been traded. TOR Browser Bundle is basically an Internet browser based on Mozilla Firefox configured to protect the user's anonymity via Tor and Vidalia. In 2015, the FBI seized computer servers running the world's largest dark web child pornography site 'Playpen' from a web host in Lenoir, No

Deep Web Search Engines to Explore the Hidden Internet

Deep Web Search Engines to Explore the Hidden Internet
Feb 11, 2016
Do you know: There is a vast section of the Internet which is hidden and not accessible through regular search engines and web browsers. This part of the Internet is known as the Deep Web , and it is about 500 times the size of the Web that we know. What is DEEP WEB? Deep Web  is referred to the data which are not indexed by any standard search engine such as Google or Yahoo. The 'Deep Web' refers to all web pages that search engines cannot find, such as user databases, registration-required web forums, webmail pages, and pages behind paywalls. Then, there's the Dark Web or Dark Net – a specific part of that hidden Deep Web. Deep Web and Dark Web are the intriguing topics for the Netizens all around. But when you hear the term 'Deep Web' or 'Dark Web,' you usually categorize them into one. If yes, then you are wrong. What is DARK WEB? Dark Web is where you can operate without been tracked, maintaining total anonymity.

New Dark Web Marketplace Offers Zero-Day Exploits to Hackers

New Dark Web Marketplace Offers Zero-Day Exploits to Hackers
Apr 18, 2015
Hackers have sold secrets of zero-day exploits in the underground Dark Web marketplace such as the Silk Road and its various successors for years, and now a new deep web marketplace has appeared that offers anonymity protection to its sellers. A new Dark Web market , called " TheRealDeal ," has opened up for hackers, which focuses on selling Zero-Day exploits — infiltration codes that took advantage of software vulnerabilities for which the manufacturers have released no official software patch. Yes, THE REAL DEE……..EAL TheRealDeal Market, actually emerged over the last month, makes use of Tor anonymity software and the digital currency Bitcoin in an attempt to hide the identities of its buyers, sellers, and of course its own administrators. TOR , a.k.a The Onion Router , is one of the most well-known Darknets, where it is harder to trace the identity of a user, as it doesn't share your identifying information such as your IP address and physical loc

Thousands of Hacked Uber Accounts Selling on Dark Web for $1

Thousands of Hacked Uber Accounts Selling on Dark Web for $1
Mar 30, 2015
$US1 may be a very little amount, but it is enough to buy you a stolen Uber account and free car rides around the city. Two separate vendors on AlphaBay , a relatively new Dark Web marketplace launched in late 2014, are selling active Uber accounts with usernames and passwords for $1 each, Motherboard reports . Once purchased, these active Uber accounts let you order up rides using the payment information provided on the file. Additionally, other sensitive information that comes with the purchase includes partial credit card data (the last four digits and expiration date), trip history, email addresses, phone numbers, and location information of users' home and work addresses. Over on AlphaBay market, a vendor identified as " Courvoisier " is claiming to sell hacked Uber accounts for $1 each. Under the product listing for ' x1 UBER ACCOUNT - WORLDWIDE TAXI!, ' anyone can buy a Uber account anonymously. Another vendor, identified as ThinkingFo

Sheep Marketplace Owner Arrested While Trying to Buy Luxury Home

Sheep Marketplace Owner Arrested While Trying to Buy Luxury Home
Mar 29, 2015
Thomas Jiřikovský , an alleged Owner of one of the most popular Darknet website ' Sheep Marketplace , ' has been arrested after laundering around $40 Million, making it one of the biggest exit scams in Darknet history. After the arrest of Silk Road owner 'Ross Ulbricht' in 2013 -- Sheep Marketplace became the next famous anonymous underground marketplace among Black Market customers for selling illicit products, especially drugs. But only after few weeks, Sheep Marketplace was suddenly disappeared and was taken offline by its owner, who had been suspected of stealing $40 million worth of Bitcoins at the time when Bitcoin market value was at the peak. Shortly after this Bitcoin Scam, a Darknet commentator ' Gwern Branwen ' doxed the owner, and the suspect was identified -- Thomas Jiřikovský as the owner of the black market website. Unfortunately, Jiřikovský forgot to hide his identity and residential address from the Internet, which was exposed by his Facebook

Deep Web Drug Market Disappeared suddenly Overnight, $12 Million in Bitcoin Missing

Deep Web Drug Market Disappeared suddenly Overnight, $12 Million in Bitcoin Missing
Mar 18, 2015
Evolution -- The largest Deep Web drugs marketplace, disappeared suddenly overnight from the Internet. But unlike Silk Road, there is no indication that the law enforcement took down the Evolution marketplace. The Darknet's most popular markets for drugs and bespoke carjacking services is mysteriously offline Wednesday with rumours circulating over the Internet that its own administrators may have just scammed its huge user base and stole $12 Millions in Bitcoin. The Evolution black marketplace opened in January 2014, and gained popularity after the shutdown of Silk ​Road and arrest of its unassuming founder, Ross U​lbricht , with a promise of less fraud. Like Silk Road , Evolution also dealt in drugs, as well as illegal weapons, counterfeit goods, stolen credit cards and guides to committing fraud. Evolution was only accessible through anonymity Tor network. At the time of its apparent vanish, Evolution was home to nearly 20,000 drug sales, far more than Silk Road

Tor — How to Protect Your Digital Environment?

Tor — How to Protect Your Digital Environment?
Mar 17, 2015
Are you aware of everything that your users are accessing from your environment? While most of the time, non-work-related Internet browsing is harmless (looking at pictures of cats, online shopping, social media, etc.) there are some instances where you could be an unknowing and unwilling participant in criminal activity. That is, when users hide that activity via the Tor network , or the Dark Net . The Onion Router , better known as " Tor ", an open source project, launched in 2002, is designed to allow a user to browse the Internet anonymously via a volunteer network of more than 5000 relays. It doesn't share your identifying information like your IP address and physical location with websites or service providers. A user that navigate Internet using Tor , it's quite difficult to trace its activities ensuring his online privacy. There are arguably legitimate uses for this technology, such as providing Internet access in repressively regulated countri

Onion.City — Search Engine for Deep Web that Works From Normal Web Browser

Onion.City — Search Engine for Deep Web that Works From Normal Web Browser
Feb 21, 2015
There is an entire section of the Internet that you probably don't see on daily basis, it's called the " Darknet " or " Deep Web ", where all browsing is done anonymously. About a week ago, we reported about the 'Memex' Deep Web Search Engine , a Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) project to create a powerful new search engine that could find things on the deep web that isn't indexed by Google and other commercial search engines, but it isn't available to you and me. Now, there is another search engine that will let anyone easily search the Deep Web for large swaths of information for free, and without an application; you only need is an Internet connection. Onion.City , a new search engine for online underground markets that makes it more easier to find and buy drugs, guns, stolen credit cards directly from your Chrome, Internet Explorer or Firefox browser without installing and browsing via Tor Browser . Just two

Memex Deep Web Search Engine Tracks Cyber Criminals

Memex Deep Web Search Engine Tracks Cyber Criminals
Feb 10, 2015
A year ago, the U.S. government's Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced a project to create a powerful new search engine that could find things on the deep web that isn't indexed by Google and other commercial search engines. The project, dubbed Memex Deep Web Search Engine , is well underway, and for the first time on Sunday night, we got an early look at Memex search engine — the crime-fighting search engine in action. The Pentagon's research agency gave Scientific American a preview of the software and 60 Minutes exclusive looks at the technology. The Deep Web is a heap of illegal activity, pervade with child pornography , drug deals, Cyber crime and human trafficking. But because the dark web is 'buried' so deeply that it is out of the reach of mainstream search engines and law enforcement agencies, however, that's until now. Memex Search Engine attempts to secure the Internet from hackers, human traffickers and other c

Grams - First Search Engine for Underground Black Markets

Grams - First Search Engine for Underground Black Markets
Apr 21, 2014
We often talk about Underground communities, illegal websites or black markets, but as they are 'Underground' in nature i.e. Hidden websites running under Onion Network, many of us don't know how to reach the one we are searching for and if hopefully found, then its difficult to figure out a trustworthy vendor. Underground websites offer illegal high quality drugs or rifles, hacking tools, or any illegal services, until now you needed to type long, complex and specific Tor browser URLs directly into the browser which is quite difficult and sometimes the sites change their addresses which makes more difficult to navigate. Not any More! As the first search engine, ' Grams ' ( https://grams7enufi7jmdl.onion ) for online underground Black Markets has been launched in Beta last week, that lets anyone to easily find illegal drugs and other contraband online in an easier way ever and it's pretty fast like Google Search Engine. You don't need to do anything, just li

Tor Network used to Host 900 Botnets and hidden Darknet Markets

Tor Network used to Host 900 Botnets and hidden Darknet Markets
Mar 07, 2014
Tor network offers users browse the Internet anonymously and is mostly used by activists, journalists to conceal their online activities from prying eyes. But it also has the Dark side, as Tor is also a Deep Web friendly tool that allows hackers and cyber criminals to carry out illicit activities by making themselves anonymous. Kaspersky security researcher reported that Tor network is currently being used to hide 900 botnet and other illegal hidden services, through its 5,500 plus nodes i.e. Server relays and 1,000 exit nodes i.e. Servers from which traffic emerges. These days, Cyber criminals are hosting malware's Command-and-control server on an anonymous Tor network to evade detection i.e., difficult to identify or eliminate. Illegal use of the Tor network boosted up after the launch of the most popular underground Drug Market - Silk road  that also offered arms and malware to their users against Bitcoin , one of the popular crypto currency . ChewBacca , a point-
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