Genesis Market offered what they called ‘bots’, which they used to steal user data by infecting their devices with ‘malware’ or by attacks to access digital service accounts. In addition to providing the stolen databases, they included the tools to use said ‘bots’.
These ‘bots’ could be sold for prices ranging from 0.70 cents to several hundred dollars, according to reports from Europol in a press release. Its value depended on the amount and type of data stolen, the most expensive being those that facilitated access to digital bank accounts.
The joint operation in which 17 countries – including Spain – have participated has dismantled this black market, which, unlike other similar ones, operated on the open Internet, although its access was restricted to an invitation.
Genesis Market was considered one of the largest black markets; they had more than 1.5 million ‘bots’ and had amassed more than two million identities before their closure.
The authorities of the Netherlands have provided a portal so that any user can check if their data was in the Genesis Market databases.