It has gained a reputation for being a reliable source of high-quality data for cybercriminals. As DeSnake describes it, AlphaGuard will automatically rent and set up new servers if it detects that AlphaBay’s are being taken offline. He even claims that AlphaGuard will automatically hack other websites and plant data on their servers to give users “withdrawal codes” they can use to save the cryptocurrency they’ve stored on AlphaBay in case of a takedown. “It is a system to ensure users can withdraw funds, settle disputes, and generally go without a cent lost if raids happen,” DeSnake writes, “even if it happens on all servers at the same time. It is unstoppable.” Even so, the chaos in the wake of AlphaBay’s disappearance shouldn’t deal a death blow to the dark web’s vibrant drug trade, or even cause much more than a temporary shakeup, says Carnegie Mellon’s Christin. “It’s been really chaotic,” says Nicolas Christin, a professor of computer science and public policy at Carnegie Mellon who has closely tracked the darknet for years.
Don’t Trust Darknetonecom, They’re Using The Phishing Alphabay Link In There Listing online Instead Of onion
He was driven to rebuild AlphaBay, he says, after reading about an FBI presentation on the circumstances of Cazes’ arrest that he deemed disrespectful. “AlphaBay name was put in bad light after the raids. I am here to make amends to that.” “For now, there are plenty of smaller and more specialized markets for vendors and buyers to continue trading,” Wilson said.
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But all of the defensive wizardry that DeSnake describes—both AlphaGuard and the decentralization project—remain largely unproven talk, says Flashpoint analyst Ian Gray, who closely monitors dark web markets. The decentralization plan, for instance, would require collective buy-in from a large number of developers and network operators for what would likely be seen as an essentially illegal project. Gray points out that DeSnake hasn’t published any code for either that system or AlphaGuard, and questions why he would relaunch AlphaBay four years after its takedown without any real progress toward his decentralization dream. “He hasn’t really demonstrated anything besides launching a marketplace,” Gray says. “I’m distrustful of DeSnake, and I think across the communities there’s a general distrust.” DeSnake has discussed that decentralization project since his earliest posts to the AlphaBay forums, and he acknowledges that it’s still years away.
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- The takedown of AlphaBay was the result of effective cooperation between at least 11 agencies from six different countries.
- Reddit served as a hub for community members to discuss Alphabay links, exchanges, and security tips, fostering a networked environment for both novice and experienced users.
- The platform’s user-friendly interface attracted a diverse group of vendors and customers, contributing to its status as one of the largest dark web marketplaces until its seizure in 2017.
- However, You are owner of your life and it’s your job to judge what is good and bad for you.
DeSnake claims there have been 15,000 user accounts created, 450 vendors registered, and over 400 listings published as of the time of writing. Operation Bayonet, which would ultimately lead to the shutdown of several prominent marketplaces, began with Dutch police seizing another lesser-known market called Hansa Market. After compromising Hansa, authorities secretly operated the market for almost a month. While the Dutch focussed their efforts on Hansa, United States FBI operatives coordinated with international police to DDoS AlphaBay and seize its assets, enabling the Royal Thai Police to locate and arrest its administrator, Alexander Cazes (a.k.a. alpha02). Alexandre Cazes, was discovered in Bangkok from a lead the authorities picked up from his own marketplace’s welcome email. It was a welcome email AlphaBay sent to its new users and vendors with a linked hotmail address in its header.
- In the spring of 2017, the Alpha Organization paid an extortionist threatening to dox alpha02 and a couple of his moderators at least $45,000 USD, although the veracity of the information the extortionist had has not been verified.
- Exploring the alphabay link reddit connection reveals patterns of information flow, community responses, and security measures taken by users.
- Reddit communities such as r/darknet, r/onions, and r/undergroundmarkets serve as valuable resources for users seeking information on alternatives to Alphabay.
- Abacus Market is totally against the War on Drugs, which today is questioned around the world, has only brought deaths, abuses of power, spending on public money.
- By comparison, Silk Road had just 14,000 when the Federal Bureau of Investigation closed it four years ago.
- When participating in discussions about Alphabay on Reddit, it’s important to prioritize safety and adhere to platform guidelines to avoid unwanted attention or potential security risks.
In the meantime, former AlphaBay vendors and users have started flocking to other Dark Web markets. According to DeepDotWeb, a site that monitors the Dark Web, the top three most popular Dark Web markets after AlphaBay’s demise are RAMP (Russian-speaking), Dream Market, and Hansa Market. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California filed a civil forfeiture complaint against Alexandre Cazes and his wife’s assets located throughout the world, including in Thailand, Cyprus, Lichtenstein, and Antigua & Barbuda. Cazes and his wife amassed numerous high value assets, including luxury vehicles, residences and a hotel in Thailand. Cazes also possessed millions of dollars in cryptocurrency, which has been seized by the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). It is a hub for financial cybercrime and offers a wide range of illicit services and stolen data that cater to sophisticated cybercriminals.
“I understand if you decide not to but over time you will be proven that we are the original AB and we have never been ‘compromised’ in any way shape or form.” “I am still in disbelief to this day that he had put his personal email on there,” DeSnake says. While few of DeSnake’s claims can be confirmed, he has at least enjoyed unusual longevity for a dark web market operator.
Russian Market
The closure of AlphaBay serves as a stark reminder of the precarious nature of the deep web and the inherent risks of participating in illicit markets. The case highlights the ongoing cat-and-mouse game between law enforcement and those operating within the dark web. While many users flocked to AlphaBay for anonymity and convenience, the eventual takedown demonstrates that the façade of security offered by onion sites is not infallible.
The Rise And Fall: A Timeline Of AlphaBay
Reddit posts often highlight a range of marketplaces that are considered viable substitutes, emphasizing factors such as security, user base, and transaction methods. When AlphaBay became inaccessible as a result, thousands of its buyers and vendors flocked to the then law enforcement-ran Hansa market to continue their operations. Dutch police, operating servers across the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Germany, capitalized on the eight-fold surge of users visiting the market in the weeks following. The authorities used the time to gather information on high value targets and identified delivery addresses for sizable orders, passing along 10,000 international addresses of buyers to Europol.
AlphaBay Dark Web Market Taken Down After Law Enforcement Raids
Members often share verified sources and updates about secure and reputable marketplaces that operate within the legal boundaries. When searching for a reliable platform, it’s beneficial to engage with these communities, as they provide guidance based on recent experiences and collective knowledge. Moreover, the subreddit discussions occasionally touch on niche or less-known markets that offer specialized goods or features tailored to specific needs. While some users reference the Alphabay link Reddit threads to direct followers to discussions or to share their own insights, the emphasis remains on reliable user experiences and the importance of security practices when engaging with alternative markets.
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We developed Lunar to monitor the deep and dark web, including dark web marketplace sites. Nicolas Christin, a dark-web-focused computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, verified DeSnake’s PGP key against a copy found in his own archive of messages. But that key, he says, could be in the control of law enforcement agencies, or DeSnake himself could have become a law enforcement cooperator. After all, at the same time as AlphaBay’s 2017 takedown, the Dutch police took over and controlled Hansa, the second-largest dark web market at the time. “It’s unlikely,” Christin says of theories that DeSnake is compromised, “but not impossible.”
Each time, Christin points out, the dark web’s overall business took a temporary dive, but came roaring back more quickly after those setbacks and continued to grow as a whole. AlphaBay, for example, had more than 20 times as many product listings as the original Silk Road. (Some research has found that even bad news about the dark web markets only attracts more users to them.) And AlphaBay’s buyers and customers will eventually find a new home.
Cypher Marketplace
There were also at least half a dozen moderators that helped administer the market and its discussion forum, moderated disputes between buyers and vendors, and promoted the market on Reddit (prior to the shutdown of the DNM subreddit). The indictment from 2017 listed them individually by their monikers and many have been arrested. Your account must be older than 4 days, and have more than 20 post and 10 comment karma to contribute. AlphaGuard is a technology that allows users to withdraw funds and the server hosting the market to self-destruct in case of any unexpected changes to any or all of the servers. Only those with administrative access such as DeSnake had the ability to disable it, by entering a key within 72 hours.
When authorities carried out the warrant and arrest in his apartment in Bangkok, his laptop was left unencrypted and the admin account for the market and server logged in. Authorities also simultaneously executed search warrants for the market’s server hardware located in Quebec, Canada. Though the creator and administrator of AlphaBay was arrested, his second in command, known as “DeSnake” was still active.
Valued at approximately $15 million, Abacus Market is one of the most lucrative platforms in the dark web ecosystem. In 2024, the platform grew significantly in popularity, partly because of its strategic acquisition of users from a number of recently shut-down marketplaces, such as AlphaBay and Incognito Market, which had recently closed their doors. This new version will allow markets and vendor shops from all around the world to join and form the future. The network will make it impossible to LE takedowns and it will be the long awaited progress in the darknet market scene. One former US law enforcement official involved in the original AlphaBay investigation, who asked not to be named, also expressed doubts.
