Crime and Punishment in the Russian-Speaking Cybercriminal Underground
Impunity is real, but not absolute. This report maps how Russia, Ukraine, and the West punish, tolerate, or manage post-Soviet cybercriminals.
Cybercrime Diaries
Cybercrime Diaries
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From Dirty Crypto to Clean Money – The Laundering Playbook of Russophone Cybercriminals
“A thief may sleep full-fed with stolen bread, But flames will one day burn his bed.” — Saadi Shirazi, The Rose Garden (Gulistan), 1258
Black Basta Chat Leak – Organization and Infrastructures
On February 20, 2025, the cybersecurity community received an unexpected stroke of luck as internal strife seemingly spread within the...
Russia's Sovereign RuNet – A Challenge to the Cybercrime Underworld?
In this blog, we will explore the extent to which the legislative and technical evolutions of the RuNet have impacted the Russian-speaking..
50 Shades of Bulletproof Hosting – BPH Landscape on Russian Language Cybercrime Forums
In this blog we will explore the current state of Bulletproof Hosting (BPH) services on two major Russian-language cybercrime forums: XSS and Exploit. We will highlight the diversity of these services and analyze cybercriminals' opinions on them. Detailed profiles of two BPH providers will be presented: "Alpha", a professional business in Moscow, and "Beta", a new service run by three friends.…
Russian Language Cybercriminal Forums – Analyzing The Most Active And Renowned Communities
Chapter III. Exploring and comparing prominent Russian language cybercriminal forums. Welcome to the third part of this series of OSINT...
Russian Language Cybercriminal Forums – Steep Investments And Hefty Profits
Chapter II. Russian language cybercriminal forums – not always underground but always aiming at generating maximum profits. Welcome to...
Russian Language Cybercriminal Forums – An Excursion Into The Core Of The Underground Ecosystem
Chapter I. The origins of the Russian language cybercriminal ecosystem and the current cybercriminal forums landscape. In this series...
Russian Language Cybercriminal Forums In 2024 – URLs
This compilation presents all the currently operational Russian language cybercriminal forums I have identified. The list and associated...
Editorial Note – Whoami And Why This Blog?
What this blog will be about, who is the writer, what will be the editorial style, and which topics will be covered in the near future?...