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In DarkOwl’s Darknet Marketplace Snapshot weblog sequence, our researchers present brief-form perception into quite a lot of darknet marketplaces: searching for trends, exploring new marketplaces, analyzing admin and vendor actions, darknet market and offering a number of insights into this transient and often criminal nook of the internet. This version options Styx market.

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What is Styx Market?

Styx is a darknet marketplace promoting illegal techniques for committing fraud, money laundering, and entry to stolen knowledge. Chatter on the darknet round Styx market first appeared in 2020 before the marketplace formally opened in mid-January 2023.

Figure 1: Captcha to Styx Market; Source: Styx Market

Styx market affords stolen knowledge in addition to quite a lot of merchandise for conducting illegal cyber actions. Examples embrace 2FA/SMS bypass, Business Full Info/Tax, Installs for stealer, Anti-detect browsers, laundry companies, FB/Google logs, Cashout Banks/VCC, Credit Cards (CC), Crypto-mixer, Stealer services, Lookup BG/SSN/DOB, RDP (distant desktop protocol)/ VDS (virtual detected server) /VPS (virtual non-public server), and lots of more. Table of definitions will be found at the bottom of this blog, here.

Figure 2: Homepage of Styx Market; Source: Styx Market

Infrastructure of Styx Marketplace

Styx market is divided into five predominant sections: the principle page, trusted sellers, auto ESCROW, information, and a filters part to search for specific merchandise on the left facet.

The principle page of the marketplace has posts by customers promoting what they sell in the marketplace. The customers have usernames that aren't assigned and can be customized. Nearly all of the site is in English and subsequently straightforward to navigate for English-speakers. However, many listings and names of distributors are in Russian. This consists of distributors on the Trusted Sellers page. Vendors on a trusted sellers web page have sometimes been vetted by the administration working the location, and subsequently are extra "trustworthy".

DarkOwl analysts assess many sophisticated darknet actors are Russia-based. Therefore, the truth that some distributors and their listings are Russia-affiliated provides to the legitimacy of the market. There are noticeable spelling errors all through the site in some of the listings posted by distributors. In some cases, a listing will embody each a Russian and English translation. Some of the filters that can be used to seek for specific merchandise or items provide a Russian translation proper next to them.

Many kinds of stolen or leaked information on the market are supplied in listings. Listings might be discovered on the principle page, under News, and sure sorts of knowledge could be searched for with the filter bar. Looking at particular person listings, the personal knowledge accessible sold is noticeably mostly from the West. The varieties of data on the market are usually PII (private identifiable info) and credentials - information that can be utilized for fraud and scams. For instance, a hacked database of U.S. payday loans is obtainable for $90. There are additionally national Spanish identification cards available. Many overseas governments difficulty nationwide identification playing cards to their citizens that are used whereas voting, touring, applying for government advantages, and are utilized by law enforcement for identification functions. Other personally identifiable info from the EU resembling credentials are offered in a number of listings. However, multiple APAC (Asia Pacific) countries and Middle Eastern international locations are also current on the site.

For payment, Styx market has its personal ESCROW-enabled payment system. In response to the terms and situations of the marketplace’s auto-ESCROW, the utmost quantity a transaction may be is $1,000,000 USD. The ESCROW system will also be utilized by consumers and sellers for dispute decision. They'll invite an Arbitrator by clicking on a assist button. The Arbitrator takes 4% of each arbitration, and their decision is remaining.

The infrastructure of Styx Market relies heavily on a Telegram element.

In some cases, the "contact seller" button on the market will lead directly to a Telegram channel. Vendors who depend on Telegram will usually have multiple channels tied to their vendor store- one for administrative help and another for selling their merchandise.

Figure 3: Trusted Sellers of Styx Market; Source: Styx Market

Concentrate on Financial Crime

The majority of services on the marketplace appear to be monetary. Customer info for digital banking companies reminiscent of Chime and PayPal are listed in addition to more traditional banks together with Capital One Bank, Wells Fargo, Citi Bank, and Old National Bank, among others. Access to cryptocurrency exchanges and Bitcoin platforms are prevalent throughout the site; websites equivalent to Crypto[.]com, Coinbase, BitRue, Kraken, and others are listed by sellers to supply access to compromised accounts or to facilitate cashing out illicit funds. It’s unclear from analysis which these accounts are provided for, however historically now we have seen them used for both.

Figure 4: Wells Fargo Account; Source: Styx Market

Figure 5: KYC Binance Tutorial; Source: Styx Market

The merchandise and knowledge accessible on Styx can be used to assist a cybercriminal at each stage in the process of financial fraud. This could start with social engineering emails targeting CEOs, utilizing lookup companies to find and acquire knowledge on targeted individuals as reconnaissance resembling a mother‘s maiden identify or the title of a family pet and past addresses to help access accounts, and creating accounts to drop and launder money. Lookup services are used by cybercriminals and dangerous actors for reconnaissance. They use lookup service info to assist them pass verification and authenticate their victim’s identification when they are committing fraud.

Figure 6: Telegram Channel for a Lookup Service on Styx Market; Source: Telegram

[TRANSLATED Image]

☀️Search manually:

DOB ($2)

EIN ($10)

☀️Search via API:

DL ($8)

SSN ($8)

⚙️Connect to the API and search 24/7

Styx market also supplies money out and money laundering companies. Multiple distributors claim to supply this service, and each has their own requirements. For example, the vendor "Verta" typically prices a 50% fee. They also have requirements for the minimum sum of money needed for a transfer: $15,000 minimum per switch to a private account and $75,000 minimum per transfer to a business account.

Figure 7: Verta Requirements; Source: Telegram

Facilitating monetary crime appears to be a significant component of the providers offered on Styx market. Cash out vendors require significant minimums of money for his or her companies. Cash out providers are used to show illicit Bitcoin into fiat foreign money. This can be a difficulty if the service, corresponding to Coinbase, requires customers to make use of their real id and to prove that the crypto funds are legal -neither of which a darknet actor would do.

Banks are cautious of cryptocurrencies’ links to the darknet and will possible be hesitant to money out massive sums of crypto, or will increase a crimson flag and require additional documentation. Darknet money out providers assist darknet actors cash out their unlawful cryptocurrency by using their own methods to avoid the system. Exact strategies are hard to return by as distributors don’t publish what they are profiting from. However, one way contains utilizing multiple Bitcoin wallets, working them by customized mixers, and discovering a Bitcoin purchaser who gives money in alternate. Another way is to ship Bitcoin to a company that will charge a pay as you go debit card.

Cash out companies sometimes have minimums and high commissions, indicating that their customer base are actors with illicit cryptocurrency positive aspects who've enough funds that the cash out will probably be useful to them regardless of the high commission. These signals could point out that Styx market has been designed and built for users who are already skilled in cybercrime, since they seem to have access to a excessive quantity of illicit funds.

Unique Characteristics of Styx Market

DarkOwl analysts have observed a singular characteristic of Styx market is its interconnectedness with Telegram. For every listing, the consumer has the choice to get in touch with the vendor directly to purchase the item. A "Get in Contact" button will either convey the person to a web page with a chat field on the marketplace itself, or the user will be taken to a Telegram channel. The Telegram channels are a mix of bots or direct entry to the sellers themselves. Some Telegram channels, similar to the cash laundering service "Verta", are used by the sellers to make public their terms of service and to publish optimistic critiques of their providers. Positive customer critiques are key to gaining belief in the darknet group.

Limited descriptions of products are given on the site and customers are often re-directed to a specific Telegram channel of that vendor. The Telegram channels are both a channel for direct messages to the vendor or are the seller’s assist Telegram channel.

A Telegram channel is used to broadcast data to a large audience; solely admins are capable of publish and there will be a vast number of subscribers. A public group is much like a channel, but all subscribers can publish in the chat. Public channels have a username, and anybody can be a part of. Private channels are only accessible if a person is added by the proprietor or receives a private hyperlink to affix. Analysts have observed that it is common for darknet vendors to have multiple Telegram accounts, the place every is used for a different goal. One may be only for support, one could be for posting new products, and yet another is perhaps for direct messages to the admin.

Figure 8: Link to Deviant Shop’s Telegram from Styx Market; Source: Styx Market

In the Telegram channels, descriptions of products and availability are shared. Buyers can also get pictures of the kind of products they are trying to purchase as proof.

Figure 9: Deviant Shop Telegram Channel; Source: Telegram

A glance at the Vendors of Styx Market

To grasp if a darknet marketplace is refined, it is crucial to evaluate the legitimacy and level of sophistication of its vendors. Trustworthy darknet marketplaces are more likely to have vendors with a considerable darknet footprint. More legitimacy is afforded to a vendor if they've been promoting for multiple years, across different marketplaces, and have been evaluated to be reliable and not a scammer. Using DarkOwl Vision, the darknet, and darknet-adjoining websites DarkOwl analysts looked at vendors from Styx market to evaluation the vendor’s footprints throughout the darknet. The presence on the darknet of the vendors will seemingly indicate if vendors on Styx market are subtle hackers or skids.

The vendor store "Valera888" sells PII, comparable to nationwide identification documents, on Styx market. Using DarkOwl Vision, this same vendor’s username was found on darknet carding sites, a preferred darknet Russian hacking discussion board, and extra darknet marketplaces courting again to 2019. Although the same username on Styx has been used throughout darknet marketplaces previously there is no approach to inform if the same individual is behind these accounts. Up to now they have been related to promoting CVVs and non-public software. The username might be connected to the same person since they appear to follow a pattern selling personal information, but this is unconfirmed.

Figure 10: Mapping Valera 888 with information from DarkOwl Vision

"337 Diller" is a vendor on the trusted distributors page of Styx market. This vendor presents lookup services.

Figure 11: Vendor Profile of 337 Diller on Styx Market; Source: Styx Market

There are two Telegram channels immediately related to this vendor on Styx marketplace. Further research reveals different channels run by a vendor with the identical title selling related merchandise on Telegram. One of the Styx-market associated channels advertises information on the market and recruitment posts. Purchases of the information posted on this site might be made by means of their linked Telegram bot channel. A help channel can be linked within this channel. The other channel consists of reviews of the vendor.

Figure 12: 337 Diller selling providers on Telegram; Source: DarkOwl Vision

Research from DarkOwl Vision signifies this vendor has been providing lookup providers and fullz since at the very least 2021 both by way of Telegram and on popular darknet marketplaces and forums.

Figure 13: Mapping 337 Diller using data from DarkOwl Vision

"Podorozhnik" sells drawing providers as a vendor on Styx market where a user can get in touch with them via the chat characteristic provided on the location. In addition to their presence on Styx, additionally they offer their faux paperwork on the market by way of devoted Telegram channels. Drawing companies is a term used for solid paperwork and fake documents. "Podorozhnik" marketed their drawing companies on the darknet site DarkMoney in 2021. No Telegram channels are linked straight on Styx market, but there are multiple public channels linked to "Podorozhnik" on Telegram. For example, they've a Telegram channel dedicated to evaluations. These show communication between clients and "Podorozhnik" of profitable verifications. A Telegram channel advertising "Podorozhnik" claims they'd over 900 positive evaluations on a well-liked Russian Forum.

Figure 14: Mapping Prodorozhnik utilizing data from DarkOwl Vision

As every of the three vendors researched seem to have been present on darknet boards and marketplaces for years before joining Styx, they are more likely to be subtle and reliable distributors. Vendor critiques are a vital part to establishing trust on darknet marketplaces and reassuring potential consumers of the legitimacy of the vendor. Two of the three distributors have critiques readily available for potential patrons to evaluate. These include Telegram channels devoted to reviews. These reviews level to trust within the vendor. They've also embraced using Telegram for selling products and services and as a support system for customers. Telegram continues to develop as a essential avenue for purchasing and promoting darknet-related items. A few of the Telegram channels associated with Styx market distributors have been created as early as 2021, while others have been created within the final 12 months.

Final Thoughts

The products sold on Styx marketplace are hacker and monetary-crime oriented. The market caters to sophisticated cybercriminals. Vendors supply access to multiple on-line banking and e-commerce sites. Money laundering services are strict and solely for those who can pay meet the greenback minimum. While cash laundering is risky, subsequently requiring a minimal for payments, distributors have been successful enough to continue offering the service. And despite the high worth there seem like customers who're prepared to pay. Financial establishments and the banking sector will need to proceed to be cautious given the account identification authentication strategies obtainable on the market on Styx market. These embrace NFC Bins (NFC is what allows for contactless fee on cards) and vendors providing to set up funnel accounts which can be used as a drop service to "drop" stolen financials. Much like money out vendors, drop providers are used for money laundering illegally earned funds. For now, Styx market will present a beneficial outlet for cybercrime on the darknet as cybercriminals go after the web parts of banking and provide you with new strategies for cash laundering.

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