Over a Million Misappropriated Credit Card Numbers distributed gratis on Underground Digital Marketplace
In the not-so-distant past, carding forums reigned supreme as the digital hub for illicit activities, peddling swathes of swiped credit card data for cold, hard cash. Fast-forward to now, and you'll find a booming black market on the dark web, trading passwords and account credentials like they're going out of style. Don't get it twisted – carding ain't gone, far from it. In fact, a recent report has shed light on the B1ack Stash crime forum offering up over a million swiped credit cards, free of charge.
Free Credit Card Caper on B1ack Stash
Andrea Draghetti, the boss man over at D3Lab's threat intelligence division, spilled the beans on Feb. 21. Apparently, the infamous B1ack Stash, an illicit marketplace and carding Mecca, dished out a mind-blowing giveaway of over a mil' stolen credit cards to its faithful members. This bundle of sensitive data dropped Feb. 19 and contained a whopping six archives, totaling 1,018,014 credit cards.
The information packed within was nothing short of jaw-dropping. Fear not the primary account numbers of those cards, the expiration dates, or the CVV2 security codes. You'll also find cardholder details like their full names, addresses, dates of birth, and phone numbers. Your criminal heart's desire, the email address, rounded out this collection of dream data perfect for committing fraud or pulling off some phishing schemes.
What's Past is Prologue
The story of this data breach harkens back to previous methods of ill-gotten gains. Draghetti revealed the cards were likely swiped using web skimming techniques, where nefarious JavaScript code is inserted into compromised e-commerce payment pages, snatching sensitive details in real-time.
The cards themselves get sorted based on their type – credit or debit – before being categorized by their issuing bank and country of origin. Draghetti warned that the dumps also included magnetic stripe data, enabling criminals to create chimerical physical cards.
Leaks as a Marketing boom
B1ack Stash has given away scoop after scoop before. Draghetti pointed out that a previous release was orchestrated by the BidenCash credit card site to attract more lowlife scumbags to the forum. It seemed the goal was to lure in new users and cement B1ack Stash as a bigwig in the collectively dark and sinister world of carding.
Initially free, the offer to purchase more swiped cards flooded the forum at around $25 a pop. In other words, it paid to get on the B1ack Stash gravy train.
Keep a close eye on those bank statements, card-toting folks. Spotting anything fishy or out of the ordinary would go a long way in saving you the headache of financial fraud or other crooked deeds.
Enrichment Data
To dig deeper into the recent B1ack Stash's massive credit card data leak, peruse the following sources and information:
- B1ack Stash Leak Details:
- Originally reported as 4 million cards, but the actual data dump contained 'only' 1,018,014 unique cards[1][3].
- Data included details like card numbers, expiration dates, CVV2 codes, cardholder names, addresses, dates of birth, phone numbers, email addresses, and IP addresses[1].
- Purpose of the Leak:
- The leak played a part in a marketing strategy to up B1ack Stash's notoriety and attract more cybercriminals to the forum[1][3].
- Similar tactics have been utilized by other illicit platforms like BidenCash to boost the site's credibility[1][3].
- Security Risks:
- The exposed data poses a significant risk to identity theft, financial fraud, phishing attacks, and credential stuffing attacks[1][3].
- Cybersecurity professionals suggest monitoring bank statements, setting up transaction alerts, freezing credit reports, and establishing multi-factor authentication to mitigate these risks[3].
- Sources for Information:
- Cybersecurity-focused news outlets and threat intelligence platforms have provided extensive coverage on this incident[1][3]. Check websites like Cyber Insider and Cybersecurity News for updates[1][3].
The B1ack Stash crime forum offered over a million stolen credit cards for free, as revealed by Andrea Draghetti from D3Lab's threat intelligence division. This massive data leak, which occurred on Feb. 19, included primary account numbers, expiration dates, CVV2 security codes, and full names, addresses, dates of birth, and phone numbers of cardholders. The cards were likely swiped using web skimming techniques, and the dump also contained magnetic stripe data.
B1ack Stash has a history of such giveaways to boost its notoriety in the carding community. In a previous incident, BidenCash credit card site leveraged a similar strategy. The exposed data poses significant risks to identity theft, financial fraud, phishing attacks, and credential stuffing attacks. To mitigate these risks, cybersecurity professionals suggest monitoring bank statements, setting up transaction alerts, freezing credit reports, and establishing multi-factor authentication.
Unfortunately, this is just another example of the ongoing cybercrime issue. On the dark web, a booming black market trades passwords and account credentials like they're going out of style, contributing to the surge in credit card theft, fraud, and phishing. If you come across anything suspicious on your bank statements, be sure to investigate and report any potential credit card theft or fraud to your bank immediately.
