Dutch police identified young users of 11-year-old young man in crack forum
Dutch police have Announce They have identified 126 people with the cracks that are now being removed.
Cracked.io is an online platform used by cybercriminals to trade stolen data, access trade-off accounts, hacking tools and fraud tutorials.
The forum is said to have helped hackers and fraudsters target at least 17 million U.S. computer users.
Dutch police then used data seized by Cracked.io servers to investigate and identified 126 Dutch users of the site – some of whom had previously been convicted or were already the subject of an ongoing investigation.
What makes the announcement particularly noteworthy is the overview of what the investigators have determined. According to the Dutch police, most of the people identified are young – many are teenagers or in their twenties.
The youngest person identified by investigators was only 11 years old.
Some people identified by the authorities have simply browsed the website or posted messages in the forum. However, others are actively involved in the sale and distribution of stolen data.
According to Dutch police, most people who have been identified are now emailing or posting official warnings about their use of the website. In addition, police said they have called 20 people to the police station for face-to-face conversations aimed at keeping them away from future cybercrime activities.
Dutch police wisely try to make young people aware of the consequences of their actions – recognizing that many of them may not see themselves as criminals.
Participating in cybercrime forums can have long-term consequences, according to a police press release. Criminal records can affect education, limit career opportunities or make mortgages very difficult.
Dutch officials recognize the scale of the problem among young people, saying they are providing resources and guidance to parents and teachers to help high-risk young people understand the real consequences of participating in cybercrime communities.
Overall, you will wisely avoid hacker forums even out of mild curiosity. Their use may cause you to find yourself in hot water with law enforcement investigators in the coming years.
At the same time, what is cracking? Well, the site itself is still under the control of law enforcement – the site has posted a large “seizure” graphic on its homepage.
However, the site was resurrected in a new URL in April. The question is, can users of the newly cracked website be trusted, because the authorities won’t catch a day, either, and like its predecessor – overflowing with key information that might identify their users?
