Hacking

Database, source code allegedly related to bulletproof hosting, once Parler’s service provider, up for sale on hacker forum

Group-IB discovered a database allegedly belonging to a bulletproof hosting provider DDoS-Guard posted for sale on a cybercrime forum.

Group-IB, a global threat hunting and adversary-centric cyber intelligence company specializing in investigating and preventing hi-tech cybercrimes, has discovered a database allegedly belonging to a bulletproof hosting provider DDoS-Guard posted for sale on a cybercrime forum on May 26. The database supposedly contains information about DDoS-Guard’s customers, including their names, IP-addresses, and payment information. In addition to the database, the threat actor claims to have the source code of the DDoS-Guard’s infrastructure. The seller is currently auctioning the entire set at a starting price of $350,000. It is not possible to verify the authenticity of the alleged stolen data, as the threat actor didn’t provide the sample.

DDoS-Guard is a Russian online infrastructure services provider that in January 2021 helped Parler, a social media app, to return online after it had been refused web hosting services on the AWS platform. According to Group-IB report on online piracy, DDoS-Guard also provides computing capacities and obstructs the identification of website owners of hundreds of shady resources that are engaged in illicit goods sale, gambling, and copyright infringements. 

Group-IB Threat Intelligence & Attribution system detected the listing posted on May 26 on exploit[.]in, a popular hacker forum.

“Initially, the threat actor was auctioning off the lot with a starting price of $500,000. Shortly after the amount was reduced to $350,000,” says Oleg Dyorov, Threat Intelligence analyst at Group-IB. “The threat actor didn’t provide a sample of the database, which makes it impossible to verify the authenticity of the reported stolen database and the source code. The seller registered this account on exploit[.]in in January 2021 and has been looking to buy access to different corporate networks ever since. It is only the second time that they are trying to sell data on the forum. Despite the regular activity, the threat actor has no reputation on the forum and has made no deposits yet.” 

According to Group-IB Threat Intelligence & Attribution system, this user previously had an account on exploit[.]in but was banned by the forum administrators as he refused to use the escrow service. DDoS-Guard, whose data is allegedly being traded on the hacker forum, provides DDoS protection, CDN and hosting services. 

“As an international certified emergency response team, we get to interact with dozens of hosting providers around the world every day to ensure violations are removed promptly,” says Reza Rafati, a senior analyst at CERT-GIB in Amsterdam. “Whenever we establish a connection with this company, it immediately reflects a red flag. We’ve seen a number of rogue websites hosted by DDoS-Guard. They were almost impossible to take down. Their answer to our numerous complaints on them protecting illegal resources is that they are not the owners of these websites. Such a safe environment for illicit online activity doesn’t do any good for the global effort against cybercrime.” 

About Group-IB

Group-IB is a Singapore-based provider of solutions aimed at detection and prevention of cyberattacks and online fraud. The company also specializes in high-profile cyber investigations and digital risk protection.

Follow me on Twitter: @securityaffairs and Facebook

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Pierluigi Paganini

(SecurityAffairs – hacking, DDoS-Guard)

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Pierluigi Paganini

Pierluigi Paganini is member of the ENISA (European Union Agency for Network and Information Security) Threat Landscape Stakeholder Group and Cyber G7 Group, he is also a Security Evangelist, Security Analyst and Freelance Writer. Editor-in-Chief at "Cyber Defense Magazine", Pierluigi is a cyber security expert with over 20 years experience in the field, he is Certified Ethical Hacker at EC Council in London. The passion for writing and a strong belief that security is founded on sharing and awareness led Pierluigi to find the security blog "Security Affairs" recently named a Top National Security Resource for US. Pierluigi is a member of the "The Hacker News" team and he is a writer for some major publications in the field such as Cyber War Zone, ICTTF, Infosec Island, Infosec Institute, The Hacker News Magazine and for many other Security magazines. Author of the Books "The Deep Dark Web" and “Digital Virtual Currency and Bitcoin”.

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