2 years ago
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Hydra Market, calling it the globe’s largest and astir salient darknet market.
“The planetary menace of cybercrime and ransomware that originates successful Russia, and the quality of transgression leaders to run determination with impunity, is profoundly concerning to the United States,” said Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, noting practice with allies specified arsenic Germany and Estonia.
Earlier today, Germany announced the shutdown of Hydra and the seizure of 543 bitcoin (BTC) worthy astir $25 million.
The U.S. Treasury said it is besides identifying much than 100 virtual currency addresses associated with Hydra’s operations that person been utilized to behaviour illicit transactions.
OFAC’s probe besides identified astir $8 cardinal successful ransomware proceeds that made its mode done Hydra’s virtual currency accounts, including from the Ryuk, Sodinokibi, and Conti ransomware variants.
Roughly 86% of the illicit bitcoin received straight by Russian virtual currency exchanges successful 2019 came from Hydra, said OFAC, citing blockchain researchers.
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Michael Bellusci is CoinDesk's crypto payments reporter.
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