Department of Justice Announces Seizure of International Cybercrime Network Assets
The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) recently announced the seizure of 39 domains and servers linked to the Pakistan-based cybercrime network known as Saim Raza, or HeartSends, which the operation claims are responsible for developing and selling phishing tool kits online to third parties, even putting out YouTube instruction videos to help would-be customers exploit innocent parties using their software. According to their press release, U.S. investigators worked with the Dutch National Police in a coordinated operation to take down the group whose software was used by “transnational organized crime groups and other cybercrime actors who purchased these tools primarily used them to facilitate business email compromise schemes wherein the cybercrime actors tricked victim companies into making payments to a third party” resulting in over $3 million losses to victims in the United States and elsewhere. Visitors to the site are now met with a banner ad announcing the seizure by law enforcement in a bid to slow the proliferation of such criminal actors. This seems of be a continuation of a DOJ focus on the prevention of cybercrime as technology advances.
Seizure Comes Days After Separate Seizure of Online Forums by International Law Enforcement
Just days before the seizure of Saim Raza, the F.B.I. had announced that it coordinated with multiple international law enforcement departments to seize and effectively shut down the domains of the high-profile online platforms, Cracked[.]io and Nulled[.]to which were two of the largest cybercrime forums in the world in operation at the time. The Cracked and Nulled forums had been in operation since 2018 and 2016 respectively, and at the time of the crackdown had over 10 millions users and over 70 million posts advertising cybercrime tools, stolen sensitive information, generating millions in revenue between the two forums. In a warning of things possible to come more prevalent in the near future for cybercriminals, “These two forums also offered AI-based tools and scripts to automatically scan for security vulnerabilities and optimize attacks. Advanced phishing techniques are frequently developed and shared on these platforms, sometimes employing AI to create more personalized and convincing messages.” While these efforts to combat cybercrime and attempt to root out new emerging technology or software that can utilize AI for nefarious and criminal goals are commendable goals for law enforcement, the reality appears to be that when one of these forums or marketplaces are shut down, a competitor or new version typically springs up in a short amount of time to replace it. It is expected that law enforcement will continue to be diligent in their pursuit of these criminals and organizations, particularly as they adapt in attempting to become more elusive. If you believe you are under investigation or have been charged with a cybercrime, you should contact an attorney capable of understanding the technology and defenses available to preserve your freedom.
