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The search revealed hundreds of compromised credentials purchased from international cyber scam operation Genesis Market.
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Man sentenced for buying stolen data from criminal website
23 January 2024
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10 minute read
A Melbourne man has been given a 12-month community corrections order after pleading guilty to using an online criminal marketplace to purchase stolen information.
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The Endeavour Hills man, 32, will perform 150 hours of community service for possessing data with the intent to commit a computer offence, contrary to section 478.3(1) of the Criminal Code 1995 (Cth).
The sentencing magistrate highlighted the serious nature of the crime and cited significant disruptions to Melbourne courts after a recent cyber attack.
Police investigated the man last year after he was found to be using an invite-only website – known as Genesis Market – which sold login credentials, browsing history, autofill form data and other sensitive data from compromised devices.
Police conducted a search warrant at the man's home last April where they seized a laptop and mobile phone.
Subsequent forensic examination of the devices revealed he had purchased several bots containing around 650 compromised credentials.
Each purchased bot contained either cookies (text files containing identifiable data), a digital fingerprint of a victim's compromised credentials, or both.
The AFP said digital fingerprints could be used by criminals to mimic a victim's access credentials to access their accounts.
Genesis Market was shut down following an international investigation led by the FBI and Dutch police that involved 17 countries and was assisted in Australia by the AFP and state police forces of NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.
At the time of the takedown, Genesis Market offered access to more than 1.5 million compromised computers, each containing information for dozens of accounts.
The international operation conducted more than 200 searches and arrested around 120.
AFP Acting Assistant Commissioner Cyber Command, Chris Goldsmid, said cyber criminals were constantly looking for ways to exploit the community.
“The rise of the internet age has created an environment ripe for online criminals to prey on vulnerable victims and access information," he said.
“The public should take steps to protect themselves against this sort of crime including regularly changing passwords, ensuring they are unique to different accounts and enabling two-factor authentication.
“To anyone seeking to buy or sell stolen information online I want to warn you that we are working every day with our law enforcement partners, at home and abroad, and we will find you and ensure that you face justice.
“Just because you are behind closed doors and a computer screen does not mean you are anonymous.”
Dutch Police have developed a portal where you can check if your personal details were compromised on Genesis Market: https://www.politie.nl/en/information/checkyourhack.html
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