Two Arrested in Takedown of Nulled and Cracked Hacking Forums

Law enforcement has arrested two individuals and charged one alleged administrator in a crackdown on the notorious cybercrime forums Nulled and Cracked. The operation, dubbed Operation Talent, took place from January 28 to 30 and was confirmed by Europol and the US Justice Department.

During the operation, over a dozen domains associated with these forums were seized. Authorities conducted searches at seven properties, confiscated 17 servers, more than 50 electronic devices, and approximately €300,000 ($310,000) in cash and cryptocurrencies. Agencies from the US, Australia, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Greece, and Romania participated in the operation.

The arrests occurred in Valencia, Spain, involving an unnamed man and a woman. The man is likely Lucas Sohn, a 29-year-old Argentinian national, who has been charged by US authorities for his role as one of Nulled’s administrators. He faces multiple charges, including conspiracy to traffic in passwords and identity fraud, with potential sentences totaling up to 30 years in prison.

Cracked, operational since March 2018, had over 4 million users and hosted more than 28 million posts, generating approximately $4 million in revenue while impacting at least 17 million victims in the US. Nulled, active since 2016, had 5 million users, 43 million posts, and annual revenue of around $1 million.

The takedown also targeted Sellix, a financial processor used by Cracked, and StarkRDP, a bulletproof hosting service associated with both forums and allegedly run by the same suspects.