German authorities have successfully taken down a notorious dark web marketplace that was known for selling drugs, malware, and other illegal items. The federal police service (BKA) and the Frankfurt prosecutor’s office for cybercrime (ZIT) announced the news on Wednesday, revealing that the coordinated action took place on December 16.
The English-language Kingdom Market, accessible via the Tor and I2P anonymization networks, had been operational since at least March 2021, primarily focusing on trading narcotics. However, visitors could also purchase hacking tools, fake government IDs, and other criminal services, according to the BKA. The marketplace had tens of thousands of customers and several hundred sellers registered, listing over 42,000 products at the time of its takedown.
Buyers made payments in Bitcoin, Litecoin, Monero, and Zcash to maintain anonymity, with the operators of the site taking a 3% cut. The BKA expressed gratitude for the assistance of law enforcement partners in the US, Switzerland, Moldova, and Ukraine in this operation.
The hunt is now on for the administrators of the site, with one suspect, Alan Bill, already arrested in the US on charges related to drug trafficking, identity theft, and money laundering conspiracy. The German authorities made a playful move by changing the name of the dark web marketplace to ‘Fallen Kingdom’ after its seizure, using the private PGP key to notify individuals on Dread.
ImmuniWeb CEO, Ilia Kolochenko, expressed skepticism about the long-term impact of such takedowns, stating that seized hacking forums or marketplaces often reappear under a similar or new identity shortly after the seizure. He emphasized that cybercrime groups can operate with impunity from non-extraditable jurisdictions, making payments in cryptocurrencies largely untraceable and immune to seizure.
In conclusion, while law enforcement agencies continue their efforts to combat cyber-enabled crime, the resilience and adaptability of criminal enterprises pose significant challenges in the ongoing battle against illegal activities on the dark web.