Three Israelis were arrested Tuesday as part of an international sting targeting the cybercrime website Darkode. The U.S. Justice Department said a total of 28 suspects were arrested in 37 raids worldwide, and that authorities are investigating the possible involvement of 70 other individuals. The undercover investigation, headed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, involved law enforcement agencies across 20 countries in Europe and Latin America, as well as Israel, Nigeria and Australia. A statement by the U.S. Justice Department described the investigation, dubbed "Operation Shrouded Horizon," as the largest coordinated international law enforcement effort ever directed at an online cybercriminal forum. Cybercriminals used Darkode, operational since 2008, to trade stolen data as well as hacking and spam tools and services, and methods for cyberattacks on governments and companies, Reuters reported. It was an invitation-only website, hidden by well-protected Internet servers. U.S. Attorney David Hickton called Darkode "a cyber hornet's nest of criminal hackers," adding that "of the roughly 800 criminal Internet forums worldwide, Darkode represented one of the gravest threats to the integrity of data on computers in the United States." The Israel Police Major Crimes Unit Lahav 433 headed the local aspects of the investigation. The Israeli suspects include two brothers, who reportedly traded credit card information. Investigators allege the third suspect aided a terrorist organization. The three are suspected of multiple counts of hacking, possession of illegally obtained data, and violating privacy laws. The Rishon Lezion Magistrates' Court remanded all three until July 19. "You don't have to physically transport weapons in the cyberworld, and this website was a cyber weapons manufacturing facility," said Chief Superintendent Meir Hayon, head of the Police Cybercrime Unit.
