Darkode Onion – Choosing the right Strategy

[janmacalister]

Vendors are cashing in on people desperate to leapfrog the line—or falsely certify that they got the shot.Security researchers have observed a spike in listings on dark web marketplaces in recent weeks. The sites are advertising sets from vaccine doses to falsified vaccine certifications and negative test results. Currently, significantly more than 1,200 listings are offering a number of vaccines, including Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, Sputnik, and Sinopharm.

Investigations by researchers at security firm Check Point have already been monitoring the sites for Covid-19-related activity since January, and they report a three-fold escalation in such activity throughout the last three months. It’s unclear if the doses are legitimate, and even when they were, there’s no guarantee that the vials have now been stored at the correct temperature, potentially rendering them useless.

A week ago, Check Point researchers situated in Israel attempted to buy the Sinopharm vaccine from vendor, said Ekram Ahmed, a spokesperson for the company. “We tried to negotiate and choose the Chinese vaccine through among the vendors,” he told Ars. The team messaged the seller, who directed them to keep the negotiations on Telegram. Once there, the seller provided reassurances that the vaccine doses were legitimate. The researchers sent $500 to a Bitcoin wallet, and while they have received a FedEx shipping label, they have yet for the shipment.

Dark web vendors are probably doing better business selling falsified vaccine cards and negative test results. “Lately, we’re seeing more vaccination certificates being offered” than vaccines, Ahmed said. “It’s probably a two-to-one ratio.”
With COVID-19 testing becoming more widespread, the cost for negative test results is as low as $25. Vaccination cards are harder to come by and are selling for more, around $200. These certificates are becoming passports of sorts, allowing people a freedom of movement they haven’t enjoyed in months. The European Union is in the process of fabricating a “digital green certificate” that they hope to roll out by June to permit its citizens and residents traveling across borders. In the US, proof vaccination could grant people access to certain venues, and employers may require it of their staff to come back to the workplace.

The researchers have alerted Europol to the listing and are contacting others today.the Check Point spokesperson, stated that the sellers they contacted on dark web marketplaces were hoping to set up long-term relationships with their customers. The target dark0de market (love it), he explained, “are folks on the floor, folks who are trying to spread and sell at the neighborhood level in bulk.”

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