Dark Web Forum Busts Come Days Apart

A pair of splashy busts this week, one in the US and the other in Germany, demonstrates that global law enforcement teams are actively pursuing Dark Web forum criminal activity. 

On Oct. 26, the Northern District of Georgia filed charges against Daniel Kaye for his alleged operation of The Real Deal underground marketplace that sold malware, stolen credentials, and even money-laundering services, according to the Department of Justice statement. 

"This case is an example of our persistent determination to work with our international partners to hold criminals accountable no matter how sophisticated their cyber fraud or their geographic location," Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said about the charges. "Let this indictment be a message that the FBI and our partners place a high priority on the investigation and prosecution of hackers who intrude into our infrastructure and threaten the personal security of our citizens."

As if to underscore the point, Bavarian authorities arrested a 22-year-old unnamed student for operating a platform called Germany on the Deep Web that law enforcement said is notorious for selling drugs and more under the motto, "No control, everything allowed." 

Maybe not everything.