Global takedown of cybercriminals behind malware operation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Law enforcement agencies in the United States and Europe said Wednesday that they have taken down a major online marketplace for stolen login credentials that had given cybercriminals access to millions of compromised accounts since its 2018 launch. 

Officials seized 11 domain names tied to the Genesis Market and arrested about 120 users across the world, including some in the U.S., according to the FBI and Justice Department, which participated in the operation. 

The market “falsely promised a new age of anonymity and impunity, but in the end only provided a new way for the Department to identify, locate, and arrest on-line criminals,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. 

Genesis Market had provided users with access to data taken from more than 1.5 million computers infected with malicious software, with over 80 million account access credentials, the Justice Department said.