FBI, Europol shut down hacking sites selling personal info, tools for cybercriminals
By Adrianne Appel2025-02-03T15:56:00
Two massive hacking websites–where criminals sold everything from stolen social security numbers to tools for cybercriminals to gain access to computers–have finally been shut down by an international law enforcement team, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.
Cybercrime has reached astronomical levels, with criminal hackers breaking into computer systems at hospitals and other businesses and steal personal and financial data.
Thieves rely on these “one-stop-shop” criminal marketplaces to sell their troves of stolen data. The websites are hidden from typical web users, because they require specific steps to access. Individuals who want false identification or are trying to steal funds from individuals, organizations or banks, frequent these marketplaces, the DOJ said in a press release Thursday.