Security News > 2021 > May > DarkSide affiliates claim gang's bitcoin deposit on hacker forum
Since the DarkSide ransomware operation shut down a week ago, multiple affiliates have complained about not getting paid for past services and issued a claim for bitcoins in escrow at a hacker forum.
To gain the trust of potential partners and expand the operation, DarkSide deposited 22 bitcoins on the popular hacker forum XSS. The wallet is managed by the site's administrator, which in this case acts as a guarantor for the gang and an arbitrator if a dispute occurs.
Last week, DarkSide closed shop and informed affiliates that the decision came after losing access to their public-facing servers and it was "Due to the pressure from the US" after the attack on Colonial Pipeline.
After the victim paid, the DarkSide operators stated they no longer had access to the funds and the affiliate could use the deposit at XSS to receive payment.
The second affiliate states that they had bitcoins left for them on the affiliate portal but had to rush to their relatives before they could claim them.
In the case of the first claim issued on March 14, the forum administrator who is acting as arbitrator, approved compensation from DarkSide's deposit.