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The U.S. Secret Service, in collaboration with international law enforcement agencies, has seized the domain of the Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex. This action was part of an ongoing investigation and involved agencies such as the Department of Justice's Criminal Division, the FBI, Europol, the Dutch National Police, the German Federal Criminal Police Office, the Frankfurt General Prosecutor's Office, the Finnish National Bureau of Investigation, and the Estonian National Criminal Police. The Secret Service confirmed the seizure of website domains associated with Garantex's administration and operation.

The seizure warrant was obtained by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Garantex had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. in April 2022, due to its association with illicit activities. Authorities have linked over $100 million in transactions on the exchange to criminal enterprises and dark web markets, including substantial sums connected to the Conti ransomware gang and the Hydra online drug marketplace.

ImgSrc: techcrunch.com

References :

• bsky.app: The US Secret Service has seized the domain of the sanctioned Russian cryptocurrency exchange Garantex in collaboration with the Department of Justice's Criminal Division, the FBI, and Europol.
• The Register - Security: International cops seize ransomware crooks' favorite Russian crypto exchange
• infosec.exchange: UPDATE: Secret Service spokesperson told us that it "has seized website domains associated with the administration and operation of Russian cryptocurrency exchange, Garantex as part of an ongoing investigation."
• Zack Whittaker: NEW: Russian crypto exchange Garantex has been seized by the U.S. Secret Service during an international law enforcement operation. FBI declined to comment; Secret Service didn't respond, but Garantex's domain is now pointing to nameservers run by the Secret Service. More from :
• securityaffairs.com: International law enforcement operation seized the domain of the Russian crypto exchange Garantex
• The Register - Security: Uncle Sam charges alleged Garantex admins after crypto-exchange web seizures
• infosec.exchange: NEW: The U.S. government has accused two administrators of Russian crypto exchange Garantex of facilitating money laundering for terrorists and cybercriminals. Aleksej Besciokov and Aleksandr Mira Serda allegedly knew they were helping ransomware hackers as well as DPRK's Lazarus Group. Besciokov is also accused of conspiracy to violate U.S. sanctions.
• The Hacker News: U.S. Secret Service Seizes Russian Garantex Crypto Exchange Website
• infosec.exchange: NEW: U.S. Secret Service and other international law enforcement agencies have seized the website of Russian crypto exchange Garantex. Garantex had previously been sanctioned by the U.S. government for being associated with ransomware gangs like Conti and darknet markets, as well as by the European Union for ties to sanctioned Russian banks.
• The DefendOps Diaries: International Collaboration in the Takedown of Garantex
• Threats | CyberScoop: The Department of Justice also indicted two men tied to the exchange.
• BleepingComputer: The administrators of the Russian Garantex crypto-exchange have been charged in the United States with facilitating money laundering for criminal organizations and violating sanctions.
• techcrunch.com: US charges admins of Garantex for allegedly facilitating crypto money laundering for terrorists and hackers
• Metacurity: Law enforcement took down hacker-friendly Russian crypto exchange Garantex
• www.scworld.com: Global law enforcement crackdown hits Russian crypto exchange Garantex
• securityonline.info: Secret Service-Led Operation Seizes Garantex Cryptocurrency Exchange
• techcrunch.com: Russian crypto exchange Garantex seized by law enforcement operation
• Jon Greig: US officials charged Aleksej Besciokov and Aleksandr Mira Serda on Friday for their roles at Garantex They also made copies of Garantex’s customer and accounting databases before servers were seized by German and Finnish officials
• infosec.exchange: NEW: After authorities took down the domains of Russian crypto exchange's Garantex, and charged two of its administrators for facilitating money laundering, the company is now inviting customers for “face-to-face meetingsâ€� at its headquarters. 🤔
• hackread.com: Garantex Crypto Exchange Seized, Two Charged in Laundering Scheme
• techcrunch.com: Following takedown operation, Garantex invites customers to ‘face-to-face’ Moscow meeting
• BrianKrebs: Scoop: Alleged Co-Founder of sanctioned cryptocurrency exchange Garantex arrested in India. Authorities in India today arrested the alleged co-founder of Garantex, a cryptocurrency exchange sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2022 for facilitating tens of billions of dollars in money laundering by transnational criminal and cybercriminal organizations. Sources close to the investigation told KrebsOnSecurity the Lithuanian national Aleksej Besciokov, 46, was apprehended while vacationing on the coast of India with his family.
• krebsonsecurity.com: Authorities in India today arrested the alleged co-founder of Garantex, a cryptocurrency exchange sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2022 for facilitating tens of billions of dollars in money laundering by transnational criminal and cybercriminal organizations. Sources close to the investigation told KrebsOnSecurity the Lithuanian national Aleksej Besciokov, 46, was apprehended while vacationing on the coast of India with his family.
• Security | TechRepublic: Long Arm of the Law Comes for Russian Crypto: Why Secret Service Seized Garantex
• BleepingComputer: Garantex crypto exchange admin arrested while on vacation
• Chainalysis: International Action Dismantles Notorious Russian Crypto Exchange Garantex
• The DefendOps Diaries: International Crackdown on Garantex: Implications for the Crypto Industry

Classification:

• HashTags: #Garantex #Cryptocurrency #Ransomware
• Company: Garantex
• Target: Garantex
• Product: Cryptocurrency exchange
• Feature: money laundering
• Type: Hack
• Severity: Major