An International Coalition Takes Down Two Hacking Forums with Over 10 Million Users
Operation Seizures by Europol and Bundeskriminalamt
An international coalition of law enforcement agencies successfully took down two hacking forums with more than 10 million users. Europol, one of the agencies involved, confirmed the operation.
On Thursday, Europol and Germany’s police, the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), announced the seizures of Cracked and Nulled. The BKA referred to them as “the world’s two largest trading platforms for cybercrime on the internet,” according to a machine translation of the BKA’s press release.
Confirmation of the Operation
Confirmation of the operation came a day after cybersecurity experts observed that Cracked, Nulled, Sellix, and StarkRDP had been seized by redirecting the domains’ nameservers to servers run by the FBI. The sites then displayed a banner announcing the law enforcement action, named “Operation Talent.”
Europol stated that these websites served as comprehensive platforms for cybercrime discussions, illegal goods trading, and cybercrime-as-a-service, offering stolen data, malware, and hacking tools.
Arrests, Seizures, and International Cooperation
The operation led to two arrests, seven property searches, and the seizure of 17 servers, 50 electronic devices, and 300,000 euros ($313,000) in cash and cryptocurrency. The law enforcement coalition seized a dozen accounts and domains across ten countries, identifying twelve individuals involved in operating the cybercrime platforms.
Two German citizens were arrested, with two others facing prosecution by U.S., Spanish, and Greek authorities. The acquired information from the seized forums included email addresses, IP addresses, and communication histories.
A video released by Europol depicted Spanish authorities conducting arrests, counting cash, searching premises, and interacting with seized computers displaying the law enforcement banner.
International Collaboration and Future Updates
German authorities spearheaded the operation, with the involvement of law enforcement agencies from Australia, France, Greece, Italy, Romania, Spain, as well as the Department of Justice and the FBI in the United States. Australian Federal Police mentioned providing updates at a later time, while other agencies did not respond to inquiries.
Contact Us for Information
For more information on Operation Talent or other cybercrime operations, contact Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai securely on Signal at +1 917 257 1382 or via Telegram and Keybase @lorenzofb. You can also reach out to TechCrunch via SecureDrop.
Continued Efforts Against Cybercrime
Operation Talent marks another step in ongoing law enforcement actions against cybercrime forums. Notable past operations include the seizure of BreachForums in 2023 and 2024, as well as Operation Endgame in 2024, targeting hacking services and malware creators.
FAQs
Q: What were the names of the hacking forums seized in the operation?
A: The hacking forums seized were Cracked and Nulled.
Q: How many arrests were made during the operation?
A: The operation resulted in two arrests.
Q: Which agencies were involved in the international coalition?
A: The coalition involved law enforcement agencies from Germany, Australia, France, Greece, Italy, Romania, Spain, as well as the Department of Justice and the FBI in the United States.
Credit: techcrunch.com
