Resecurity Released a Status Report on Drug Trafficking in the Dark Web (2022-2023)

guest · Jan 9, 2023

By Pierluigi Paganini - January 9, 2023

Resecurity, a Los Angeles-based cybersecurity and risk management provider has released an eye-opening report on drug trafficking marketplaces currently operating in the Dark Web. The report highlights a rapidly growing shadow economy, and new communication methods such as proprietary Android-based mobile apps criminals developed allowing them to migrate from traditional communication channels.
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According to experts, following the takedown of the Hydra Marketplace by Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office in a joint operation with the FBI, DEA, IRS Criminal Investigations, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in April 2022, at least 10 darknet markets (DNMs) have risen to fill the regional void for drugs and other illicit goods.

Resecurity outlined a new marketplace called “Kraken”, which emerged right at the start of 2023 following the Christmas holidays and was designed in Hydra’s best tradition. Launched by the WayAWay Market founders, it has already accumulated over 1,720 reputable sellers and shops selling illicit goods.
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With counterfeit prescription Pharmaceuticals flooding the dark web, damage to both people and the legitimate pharmaceutical companies is becoming ever clearer.

Resecurity forecasts an active growth curve in the Dark Web ecosystem centered around illegal drugs and counterfeit pharmaceuticals in light of post-pandemics and complicated geopolitical agendas preventing law enforcement from operative cooperation. Resecurity provides specialized intelligence products for law enforcement which help track underground activity, and highlights the need to build advanced tactics towards threats originating from the Dark Web.
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Resecurity: Dark Web Markets Compete For The Drug Trafficking And Illegal Pharmacy Monopoly

January 8, 2023
Major drug markets in the Dark Web are now worth around $315 million annually according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Resecurity estimates this figure to be significantly higher in 2023, the annual sales of illegal drugs in the Dark Web for 2022 exceeded $470 million - which is the result of increased geopolitical tensions, global pandemics, and unprecedented growth of shadow economy internationally.
Significance
Criminal entities involved in drug trafficking continue to upgrade their tooling and advance their operations in the Dark Web. Threat actors have begun developing proprietary mobile apps allowing buyers and sellers of illegal goods to communicate in close to real-time mode, as well as transmitting information about "packages" with delivered drugs via alternative digital channels.
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guest · Jan 12, 2023

Darknet Markets Using Custom Android Apps for Fulfillment
By Mathew J. Schwartz @euroinfosec - January 11, 2023

E-commerce markets offering illicit substances, digital contraband, fraudster tools and other criminal wares continue to thrive.
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Many buyers and sellers of such goods and services rely on darknet markets. But no market lives forever, and whenever a major player gets disrupted, users scatter. Some flock to rival services, others start up new options, and underground chatter intensifies over how to better camouflage activities using encrypted chat apps or services (see: Why Darknet Markets Persist).

Over the past year, cybersecurity firm Resecurity reports it's seen multiple "underground drug shops" pursue these strategies.
M-Club was developed "specifically for drug traffickers and is currently marketed on major underground communities," Resecurity reports. "Some of these mobile apps have been recently observed by our experts on seized mobile devices by law enforcement - they belong to several suspects involved in drug trafficking and other illegal operations."
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Discussion of M-Club started to appear in cybercrime forum chats by last April, according to underground chatter tracked by threat intelligence firm Kela.

As of last week, an advertisement was running on Russian language forum Legalize, devoted to so-called research chemicals, aka RC. It touts the M-Club's "24/7 user support," ability to calculate salaries for couriers - aka drug mules - as well as "multifunctional Telegram bot" designed to improve the customer experience.
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guest · Jan 18, 2023

Illegal Solaris darknet market hijacked by competitor Kraken
By Bill Toulas @billtoulas - January 18, 2023

Solaris, a large darknet marketplace focused on drugs and illegal substances, has been taken over by a smaller competitor named 'Kraken,' who claims to have hacked it on January 13, 2022.
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The Tor site of Solaris currently redirects to Kraken, while blockchain monitoring experts at Elliptic report no movements in the cryptocurrency addresses associated with the site after January 13, 2022.

The Solaris marketplace emerged a few months ago, following the seizure of Hydra, attempting to capture a portion of the then-disturbed market. The new market quickly captured about 25% of the market and processed roughly $150,000,000 in illegal sales.
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At the start of the year, a Resecurity report on the emergence of novel drug markets claimed that Solaris had received 60,000 new registrations since Hydra's sudden demise, while Kraken only absorbed about 10% of that.
Taking down competitors
While Solaris disputed the claims about the hack and called out the lack of evidence, Holden later released more details and leaked source code and databases allegedly associated with the marketplace.

Kraken's statement claims that it took them three days to steal the clear text passwords and keys stored in Solaris' servers, access its infrastructure located in Finland, and then download everything without anyone stopping them.
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Resecurity Released a Status Report on Drug Trafficking in the Dark Web (2022-2023)

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