In early July, multiple computer servers used by the AlphaBay website were seized worldwide, and the site’s creator and administrator—a 25-year-old Canadian citizen living in Thailand—was arrested. AlphaBay operated for more than two years and had transactions exceeding $1 billion in Bitcoin and other digital currencies. The site, which operated on the anonymous Tor network, was a major source of heroin and fentanyl, and sales originating from AlphaBay have been linked to multiple overdose deaths in the United States. The intelligence yielded by the Hansa operation “has given us a new insight into the criminal activity of the darknet, including many of its leading figures,” Wainwright said. Meanwhile, Europol provided Dutch law enforcement authorities with a lead on Hansa Market that would allow them to identify the site’s administrators and locate its servers in Lithuania, Germany and the Netherlands. They are known as the “dark Web” — encrypted corners of the internet that promise anonymity to customers who want to buy or sell illegal drugs, weapons and other contraband.
The Thai police, under the supervision of the feds, eventually arrested him a few days later in a well-choreographed operation. A week later, Cazes then died by apparent suicidein a Bangkok jail. Sign up for a free trialand see how Flashpoint can provide you with the actionable intelligence your team needs to identify and respond to cyber and physical threats targeting your organization. As for DeSnake’s market decentralization project, it appears that all 2021 goals have been met, aside from “choosing an official name for the project” which has been kicked to the end of 2022. Coming up is the testing and finalization of the payment module, which will ostensibly replace AlphaGuard, AlphaBay’s current payment dispute and protections system.
Falling short may be DeSnake’s push to adopt I2P as an alternative to Tor, as it has not had the impact on the marketplace landscape as expected. Today’s version of AlphaBay experienced a relatively slow start, as vendors and buyers questioned the nature of this relaunch, wary of law enforcement involvement. DeSnake’s eagerness to launch AlphaBay with increased security measures, like AlphaGuard and a decentralization project—an effort to sidestep whatever operational security Cazes blundered, eventually leading to his detainment—was met with some skepticism. Stolen and fake identification documents, malware, hacking tools, firearms, and fraudulent services accounted for another 100,000 listings.
Alphabay Unique Features
DarkOwl believes this account may be maintained by DeSnake based on the observation that they leave a similar “Thank You.” at the end of every post. In 2016, an angry user of AlphaBay known as “Kinger” stated that alpha02 had left the market in late 2015, sold his stake to DeSnake, and DeSnake was supposedly acting as admin for its final two years. Kinger’s ominous threat suggested they knew his real life identity and his citizenship was actually Dutch. Other listings – such as doxxing tools, gold, invites to invite-only Genesis marketplace, Binance accounts, password databases, and more.
A week later, Cazes apparently took his own life while in custody in Thailand. Ased on law enforcement’s investigation of AlphaBay, authorities believe the site was also used to launder hundreds of millions of dollars deriving from illegal transactions on the website. “Thailand seizes $21 million in assets from dead founder of dark net marketplace AlphaBay”. “Dark Web drug marketplace AlphaBay was shut down by law enforcement”.
What is AlphaBay?
From management to Staff to the technology behind AlphaBay to our bulletproof servers we have the very best. With the protection from a system like AlphaGuard which no other marketplace has, we are clearly a choice for those who have stability and security as their priorities. We know how to run our marketplace and forums, we know what the darknet market scene needs and we have come prepared. Private sub-forums are back, this time extending to communities like hacking, carding etc. to replace the recent demise of famous underground forums.
- Whether vendors and sellers will buy into the new AlphaBay, and how long it might operate before suffering a potential exit scam or law enforcement takedown, only time will tell.
- A week later, Cazes apparently took his own life while in custody in Thailand.
- So it’s not surprising that many darknet fans have been wishing for the particular marketplace to get revamped again.
- According to a source speaking with the Bangkok Post, police seized four Lamborghinis and about $11.7 million in Thai currency from Cazes when they arrested him.
- WASHINGTON – The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it had shut down the dark web marketplace AlphaBay, working with international partners to knock offline the site accused of allowing a global trade in drugs, firearms, computer hacking tools and other illicit goods.
AlphaBay started in 2014 and it became the largest darknet market. The business ended when law enforcement took it down on July 5, 2017. We are professionally-run, anonymous, secure marketplace with a track record like no other marketplace out there – dead or alive.
Moreover, you can find other markets with advanced security capabilities and unique approach to the darknet trading, including Monopoly, Versus, and ToRReZ. Still, DeSnake offers many features and initiatives that seem intriguing to say the least. Regardless of whether it ends up as a success or a failure, it will still be exciting to observe the AlphaBay’s journey. But if you decide to give this platform a try, don’t forget that any darknet market is doomed to cease its existence eventually, so be prepared and don’t defy the safety rules. A certain profit percentage will be used to finance this project and bring it to life.
When you make a purchase, only your purchase history will be shared to the vendor. On 7th August 2021 DeSnake re-opened AlphaBay for business after having his identity verified by PGP, forum admins, ex-AlphaBay staff members and multiple security researchers. AlphaBay now uses only Monero cryptocurrency and currently has only two featured listings, both for drugs.
Dark Web Urls
Fraudsters operating on the AlphaBay darknet market are using phishing attacks to steal login credentials from other criminals. In this particular attack, the phishing site mimics the address of one of AlphaBay’s Tor hidden services. Authorities said the law enforcement action was one of the largest ever taken against criminals on the dark web, part of the internet that is accessible only through certain software and typically used anonymously. Whether vendors and sellers will buy into the new AlphaBay, and how long it might operate before suffering a potential exit scam or law enforcement takedown, only time will tell. As noted, White House Market currently dominates, but other players include ToRReZ and Versus, as well as drug-focused markets, such as CannaHome and Cannazon.
At the time, the community praised AlphaBay for its sound management. A deadly single mistake with OpSec cost him his life right before the market went crazy. WASHINGTON – The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it had shut down the dark web marketplace AlphaBay, working with international partners to knock offline the site accused of allowing a global trade in drugs, firearms, computer hacking tools and other illicit goods. What was it about this particular marketplace that people found so appealing? AlphaBay’s developers applied multiple sophisticated features and edge-cutting technologies, which ended up becoming inherent elements of almost any contemporary darknet market.
For best ways to unlink coins even further, refer to our Forum for latest guideliness. New marketplace categories like Services (programming, graphic design, remote administration, language translation etc.) and Automotive (hacking, parts, keys, exploits etc.) open the space for more opportunities for everyone involved. During this research, DarkOwl discovered a surface web domain that mirrors much of the information DeSnake shared on Dread, but with a Tor link to the market that is not in the mirrors.txt verified links list from AlphaBay. The surface web domain is likely setup specifically to direct users to a phishing site where their credential information can be stolen.
The message contained information about the intended relaunching of AlphaBay marketplace. It would keep the market’s original style and layout, but it would also be much better. AlphaBay only accepts Monero, has strict product restrictions, and doesn’t allow people from certain countries to use it. Of course, you have every right to be suspicious about this newly emerged AlphaBay’s successor.
