Darkode: Computer hacking forum dismantled; 12 people charged, US authorities say
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and law enforcement agencies from around the world have shut down Darkode, an international online forum used by cybercriminals, and brought charges against 12 people linked to the site, the US justice department says.
US attorney David Hickton announced the charges in Pittsburgh and called Darkode "a cyber hornet's nest of criminal hackers".
"Of the roughly 800 criminal internet forums worldwide, Darkode represented one of the gravest threats to the integrity of data on computers in the United States," he said.
The justice department said the FBI and US attorney's office in Pittsburgh led the investigation, known as Operation Shrouded Horizon.
It included authorities from Europol and 20 countries in Europe and Latin America and included Israel, Nigeria and Australia.
The department said it was the largest coordinated international law enforcement effort ever directed at an online cybercriminal forum.
Cybercriminals used Darkode to trade stolen data as well as hacking and spam tools and services, and methods for cyberattacks on governments and companies.
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