AlphaBay and Hansa Dark Web Markets are Seized
Congratulations to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and Dutch National Police for a massive take-down of two dark web illicit online markets! AlphaBay and Hansa markets were associated with illegal drugs, weapons, malware, and stolen information. Several deaths have been attributed to the dangerous drugs that people have obtained from these sites, including synthetic opioids, heroin, and fentanyl.
AlphaBay had over 350,000 illicit listings, mostly dangerous drugs, and transactions totaling $450 million.
Hansa was covertly taken over by authorities and monitored for about a month before being pushed offline. Transaction and communications data from both sites will provide a wealth of investigative information and I suspect other markets and arrests will follow.
Interested in more? Follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter (@Matt_Rosenquist), Information Security Strategy, and Steemit to hear insights and what is going on in cybersecurity.
The users are fleeing to another illicit market.
It's surprising to see an empire toppled in a day. A vacuum has formed and someone knows it. The code is already being laid for the next big market. Stay tuned as more develops, friends!
I post regularly about Steemit, Bitcoin and other crypto related material, check out my Steemit page and follow and VOTE UP for the fastest active news you can run with!
Thank you,
Jeffrey Anderson
Editor in Chief
The Anderson Report
@cryptoNEWScoins on Twitter
@mrosenquist,
Have you created a post on what the Dark Web actually is? I think you would be good at explaining it.
Great idea @gikitiki I don't think I have posted on what the dark web is. (it has both legal as well as illegal components)
Great!
Love seeing the Steemit community growing across the globe. @mrosenquist
Interesting news all about malware and drugs is something that we need to know to avoid fall there. Thanks
yes the sale of drugs on line is a cancer on society -i am now following you in support
Are you serious? These online marketplaces have greatly reduced negative things related to drug trade. They have made the world safer place.
I am not sure these types of marketplaces add to the greater good. Harmful drugs and chemicals sold to anyone (even pre-teens), weapons, stolen breach data, child pornography, etc. from illicit dark markets are largely seen as not overly productive . In the past some have even offered child prostitution and murder-for-hire services.
War against drugs kills people everyday and destroys whole societies. It's way worse than what online marketplaces are doing. In the future, all individuals supporting war against drugs are considered as evil as nazis who supported war against jews.
And besides drugs, most of the things and services sold are not real, they are just scams.
Those drugs on marketplaces like Alphabay are sold by terrorists and mafia to raise funds so they can keep chopping heads off and leaving bodies everywhere, not your friendly neighborhood weed dealer.