Security News > 2020 > March > FBI Arrests Alleged Owner of Deer.io, a Top Broker of Stolen Accounts
FBI officials last week arrested a Russian computer security researcher on suspicion of operating deer.io, a vast marketplace for buying and selling stolen account credentials for thousands of popular online services and stores.
Prosecutors with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California allege Firsov was the administrator of deer.io, an online platform that hosted more than 24,000 shops for selling stolen and/or hacked usernames and passwords for a variety of top online destinations.
"The FBI's review of approximately 250 DEER.IO storefronts reveals thousands of compromised accounts posted for sale via this platform and its customers' storefronts, including videogame accounts and PII files containing user names, passwords, U.S. Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, and victim addresses," the indictment states.
In addition to facilitating the sale of hacked accounts at video streaming services like Netflix and Hulu and social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Vkontakte, deer.io also is a favored marketplace for people involved in selling phony social media accounts.
Russian hacking forums have taken note of Firsov's arrest, as they do whenever an alleged cybercriminal in their midst gets apprehended by authorities; typically such a user's accounts are then removed from the forum as a security precaution.