Update (15 May, 10:00 am): An identical version of Genesis Market is still available on the dark web and is "fully functional," BBC reported on May 12. Genesis Market, an infamous and notorious online marketplace for stolen credentials, was taken down on April 4 in an international joint operation dubbed Operation Cookie Monster involving several countries, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a press release. The website used to sell credentials such as usernames and passwords for email, bank accounts, and social media that were stolen from malware-infected computers around the world. Why does this matter: Genesis was one of the three most popular marketplaces for stolen information along with Russian Market and 2Easy. “Since its inception in March 2018, Genesis Market has offered access to data stolen from over 1.5 million compromised computers around the world containing over 80 million account access credentials,” the US DOJ stated. “Behind every cyber criminal or fraudster is the technical infrastructure that provides them with the tools to execute their attacks and the means to benefit financially from their offending. Genesis Market was a prime example of such a service and was one of the most significant platforms on the criminal market. Its removal will be a huge blow to criminals across the globe.” — Rob Jones, UK NCA Director General NECC and Threat Leadership How to check if your credentials were available on Genesis: The credentials obtained from Genesis Market during the course of the investigation have been provided to the…
