The FBI took credit Tuesday for shuttering Deer.io, a Russian-based website accused of enabling the sale of stolen data, following the recent arrest of its alleged administrator.
Attempts to load the site, which had been operational for over six years, showed a message saying it was seized in accordance with a warrant obtained by the Department of Justice.
Kirill Victorovich Firsov, a Russian national accused of managing the site, had been arrested 2 1/2 weeks earlier at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
A statement of probable cause unsealed after Mr. Firsov’s arrest described Deer.io as a Russian-based cyber platform that essentially allowed criminals to lease digital storefronts to sell illegal products and services, including compromised personal and corporate data that had been hacked or stolen.
Online since at least October 2013, the FBI said Deer.io claimed to have hosted over 24,000 “shops” that together generated more than $17 million in combined sales.
Law enforcement was unable to find a single legitimate business advertising its services or products on Deer.io, however, according to the FBI.
“There is a robust underground market for hacked stolen information, and this was a novel way to try to market it to criminals hoping not to get caught,” said U.S. Attorney Robert Brewer.
“Deer.io was the largest centralized platform, which promoted and facilitated the sale of compromised social media and financial accounts, personally identifiable information (PII) and hacked computers on the internet,” added FBI Special Agent in Charge Omer Meisel. “The seizure of this criminal website represents a significant step in reducing stolen data used to victimize individuals and businesses in the United States and abroad.”
Prior to shuttering the site, the FBI said it used Deer.io to purchase stolen data including hacked usernames and passwords associated with a San Diego-based video game company, as well as approximately 3,649 accounts containing personally identifiable information such as names, birthdates and Social Security numbers.
Mr. Firsov, 28, accordingly faces one count each of aiding and abetting the trafficking of false authentication features and aiding and abetting the unauthorized solicitation of access devices. His arraignment is currently set for April 16.
The FBI’s seizure of Deer.io happened on the heels of authorities indicating accomplishing as much would be an uphill battle: as of March 6, a court filing entered in the case against Mr. Firsov said the site was “maintained on Russian-controlled infrastructure, which is insulated from U.S. law enforcement.”
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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