A global strike unfolded in 14 countries on Tuesday against buyers of stolen credentials on the Genesis Market site, in an attempt to commit fraud internationally. The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) took charge of the operations on Quebec soil: it arrested six people and carried out four searches of computer equipment.
“This is the largest cybercrime operation carried out in Canada,” explained SQ Lieutenant Jean Le Bel, head of the cybercrime investigations division, on Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, in countries in Europe, America and Australia, searches and arrests were made against users of Genesis Market, one of the largest criminal shopping sites in the world, popular with computer fraudsters.
Those who connect to it now will see this notice: “This site has been seized” by the FBI.
Several police forces carried out the simultaneous strike, including the FBI, the RCMP and Europol.
In Quebec, more than 175 SQ agents were deployed on the ground on Tuesday as part of the operation called “Cookie Monster” by the FBI. In addition to the six arrests in Quebec — four men and two women — 59 people qualified as “subjects of interest” were visited by police officers who gave them warnings. Other arrests thus remain possible, indicated the SQ.
Iris, a cyberdog trained to detect computer equipment, was even loaned by the FBI to the SQ. The black Labrador participated in the four searches carried out on Tuesday in the greater Montreal area and in Quebec. It was only the time he came to Canada, said SQ spokesman Benoît Richard.
On Genesis Market, it was possible to buy credentials, which could allow fraudsters to access bank accounts, for example, by avoiding protective measures such as “double identification”, explained the sergeant of the SQ Marc-André Piché, which is part of the cybercrime investigation unit.
“User environments” were sold, i.e. a combination of passwords and login credentials, so that when the fraudster logged in, he left no distinct trace: the connection was made as if it were its rightful owner.
The heads of Genesis Market would be in Russia, as would most of its computer servers, the FBI told the SQ.
It was the federal police force that carried out long-term surveillance of the site and its users, said the SQ, which received a list of major Quebec users.
They spent a lot of money there, Lt. Le Bel reported. Thousands of stolen user profiles have been purchased there by Quebecers. The SQ will determine, after investigation and analysis, whether this data was used to commit thefts or other criminal offences.
All six could be charged with unauthorized use of computers, as well as possession of devices that allow unauthorized use of computers. Some of these people knew each other, and some had criminal histories, Piché said.