Charlie Osborne Mar 24, 2022 1:50 PM UTC
Updated: Mar 24, 2022 13:52 UTC
The 23-year-old has been charged with successfully operating a carding circle
US law enforcement has indicted a Russian national for allegedly operating a dark web market dedicated to trading stolen data and credentials.
On March 22, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced the indictment of Igor “Floraby” Dekhtyarchuk, who was indicted by a federal grand jury as the administrator of an underground platform for the sale and exchange of thousands of stolen account credentials, of hacking tools and personally identifiable information (PII).
Dekhtyarchuk was charged in the Eastern District of Texas.
According to US prosecutors, “Marketplace A” offered access to nearly 50,000 email accounts and more than 39,000 other online accounts. The DoJ estimates the market had 5,000 daily visitors.
Open forum
Dekhtyarchuk reportedly first appeared on cybercriminal forums in 2013, and in 2018 he used the pseudonym “Floraby” to advertise the platform.
In many carding forums, stolen information including account credentials and payment card data – whether hashed or not – is simply sold in bulk.
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However, in Marketplace A, customers could also purchase software, “[Company A] Auth 1.0,” which can be downloaded to access victim company accounts using session cookies in a one-week rental model.
“An option allowed Dekhtyarchuk’s customers to purchase the information to illegally access two online retail accounts and receive credit card information for the same victim,” the DoJ said.
“Some options were broken down by known account balances, which were sold at different prices.”
Most Wanted
In 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) purchased 13 access devices on the market, which were delivered via web links and Telegram messages. Law enforcement received credentials for a total of 131 accounts.
Dekhtyarckuk is now in the FBI Most Wanted List and a federal warrant was issued for his arrest. Its last known location was Kamensk-Uralsky, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia.
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If arrested and convicted, Dekhtyarckuk faces 20 years in prison.
“The cybercriminal marketplace operated by Dekhtyarchuk has promoted and facilitated the sale of compromised credentials, PII, and other sensitive financial information,” commented FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Jim Smith.
“Cybercriminal actors behind these marketplaces go to great lengths to conceal their true identities and often use other sophisticated methods to further anonymize their activities.”
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