Article Link: Germany Shuts Down Russian Hydra Darknet Market; Seizes $25 Million in Bitcoin

Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), on Tuesday announced the official takedown of Hydra, the world’s largest illegal dark web marketplace that has cumulatively facilitated over $5 billion in Bitcoin transactions to date.

“Bitcoins amounting to currently the equivalent of approximately €23 million were seized, which are attributed to the marketplace,” the BKA said in a press release. Blockchain analytics firm Elliptic confirmed that the seizure occurred on April 5, 2022 in a series of 88 transactions amounting to 543.3 BTC.

Discussion Questions:

1. Identify three key takeaways from the article. What did you find most interesting?
2. Conduct additional research to create a definition for the dark web. What is the dark web? How is it used for criminal activities?
3. How can law enforcement continue to track and shutdown these types of sites and organizations? What steps and tactics can they take?

Source: Ravie Lakshmanan “www.thehackernews.com” April 5, 2022.