The convict was responsible for processing data from the leaked databases with their subsequent entry on the WeLeakInfo website and communicating with clients
In the Netherlands, one of three operators of the WeLeakInfo website, which sells access to hacked databases, was been sentenced to two years in prison (the second year was suspended).
During court hearings, a 23-year-old man (his name has not been disclosed) admitted to running the site with a Northern Irishman and a third unknown person.
For $2 a day, WeLeakInfo provided access to 12,415,528,535 records from 10,368 compromised databases, many of which contained clear-text usernames and passwords. Although the site masqueraded as a legitimate site like Troy Hunt’s Have I Been Pwned, and was heavily advertised on hacker forums. According to advertisements, the service could be used to search for old credentials and try to hack other online profiles, where the victim could reuse passwords.
According to the convict, he did not take part in the creation of the site, but joined two of its creators in 2016, when WeLeakInfo was already launched. The convict explained, a resident of Northern Ireland performed the work of a programmer, and the second accomplice was engaged in laundering funds received from clients of the site. The convict himself was responsible for processing data from the leaked databases with their subsequent entry on the WeLeakInfo website and communicating with clients.
The operators of the sites received most of the data on barter – according to the terms of use, access to data on WeLeakInfo could also be obtained by providing the operators with a database, which they do not yet have.
The service came to the attention of law enforcement in July 2019 when the UK National Cybercrime Agency launched an investigation. In November 2019, the Netherlands joined the investigation. In January 2020, law enforcement agencies in the United States, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom seized WeLeakInfo’s servers.
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