Ukrainian Steals Cryptocurrencies From Russian Dark Web Market

• The crypto donation of almost $25,000 was sent to the Ukrainian nonprofit Enjoying Life.
• The Ukrainian and his associates were able to access the marketplace’s “master wallet”.

Reports indicate that Alex Holden is a Ukrainian-born cyber intelligence professional. Emigrated to the United States from Kyiv as a youngster in the 1980s. Now resides in Mequon, Wisconsin, and claims to have hacked into Solaris, one of Russia’s major online drug marketplaces.

His Hold Security crew helped him steal part of the crypto that was destined for dealers and the operators of the dark web site. Later, the crypto donation of almost $25,000 was sent to the Ukrainian nonprofit Enjoying Life, headquartered in Kiev.

Source Code and Database Hacked as Well

Holden, without giving specifics, explained that he had compromised a large portion of Solaris’s online infrastructure, including several administrator accounts, and had stolen the website’s source code as well as a database containing information about its users and drop-off locations for drug deliveries.

The Ukrainian and his associates were able to access the marketplace’s “master wallet” for some time. According to the aforementioned article, this functioned as the platform’s cryptocurrency exchange, whereby both buyers and sellers could make deposits and withdrawals.

Due to the high volume of transactions, the wallet’s holdings were seldom more than 3 BTC. Holden stole 1.6 BTC and sent money to the Enjoying Life account. Another $8,000 was contributed by Hold Security to the organization that helps victims of the conflict in Ukraine.

The governments of Russia and Ukraine have battled not only on the battlefield but also online, with Kyiv hiring cyber professionals to form its own cyber force. The elite team’s mission was to not just detect and stop Russian cyberattacks but to counter-hack if necessary.