Global police operation dismantles major cybercrime and hacking forums.
Two forums with 10 million users were shut down.
An international law enforcement operation, led by German authorities in collaboration with Europol, the FBI, and various European police forces, resulted in the dismantling of two major hacker forums, multiple arrests, as well as the seizure of cash and cryptocurrencies.
Between January 28 and 30, "Operation Talent" took place, during which two arrests were made, seven properties were searched, and a total of 17 servers and over 50 electronic devices were confiscated, in addition to approximately 300,000 euros and cryptocurrencies. The main highlight of this operation was the closure of the hacker forums Cracked and Nulled, which, according to Europol, had more than 10 million combined users.
Europol emphasized that these underground economy forums provided quick access to the world of cybercrime. They operated as marketplaces where not only cybercriminal activities were discussed, but illegal goods were also traded and cybercrime services were offered, such as stolen data, malware, and hacking tools. It is estimated that the suspects generated criminal profits of one million euros.
During the dismantling, law enforcement agents confiscated 12 domains and disabled the financial processor Sellix, as well as a hosting provider called StartRDP. In addition to Europol and the FBI, the operation involved the Australian Federal Police, the French Cybercrime Office, the Federal Criminal Police Office of Germany (which led the operation), the Frankfurt Public Prosecutor's Office - Cybercrime Center, the Hellenic Police of Greece, the State Police of Italy, the Inspectorate General of the Romanian Police, the National Police of Spain, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
This is not the first hacking forum to be shut down by law enforcement. BreachForums, considered the largest of its kind, was shut down in April 2023 following the arrest of its administrator, Conor Brian Fitzpatrick. Subsequently, Breached was formed, which has become the new reference for anything related to cybercrime.
