Russia continues cybercrime offensive with SkyFraud takedown
February 8, 2022 – Published on SearchSecurity
Authorities in Russia are once again touting a major takedown of a cybercrime operation.
Notices posted on the former website of cybercrime forum SkyFraud warned users that the site has been seized by police and was being investigated for criminal charges.
According to a translation of the notice provided by threat monitoring group VX-underground, police in Russia notified visitors Monday that the site was “permanently closed during a special law enforcement operation.” According to TASS, a news agency operated by the Russian government, authorities also arrested six alleged members of an unnamed cyber fraud organization on Monday.
The takedown of the credit card fraud trading forum comes hot on the heels of Russian police efforts to dismantle the REvil ransomware gang. In those arrests, multiple affiliates of the REvil ransomware crew were reportedly taken into police custody.
Some threat analysts remain skeptical on this latest wave of takedowns from Russia, noting that the Kremlin has historically turned a blind eye to the dirty deeds of hackers operating within its border. Rather, given the increased pressure from the U.S. and the global scrutiny over the Ukraine crisis, the Kremlin may just be looking for some goodwill.
“I think it’s tough to definitively say their motivation,” GuidePoint Security cyber defense senior director Mark Lance told SearchSecurity.
“The reasoning behind the takedowns could be driven by anything from internal state-related challenges with the groups/criminal organizations, to a simple attempt to make calculated moves that try to address negative perception associated with their cybercrime policies.”
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