Ukrainian Allegedly Steals Cryptocurrencies From Russian Dark Web Market

Alex Holden, a Ukrainian-born cyber intelligence professional now living in Mequon, Wisconsin, has reportedly hacked into Solaris, a major Russian online drug marketplace.

With the help of his team at Hold Security, Holden is said to have stolen a portion of the cryptocurrency intended for the operators and dealers of the dark web site.

The stolen crypto, worth almost $25,000, was then sent to the Ukrainian nonprofit Enjoying Life, based in Kiev.

In addition to the cryptocurrency theft, Holden claimed to have compromised a significant portion of Solaris’s online infrastructure, including the website’s source code and a database containing information on its users and drug delivery locations.

He and his associates were also able to access the marketplace’s “master wallet,” which functioned as a cryptocurrency exchange for buyers and sellers to make deposits and withdrawals.

Holden is said to have stolen 1.6 BTC from the wallet, which typically held no more than 3 BTC due to the high volume of transactions.

In addition to the money sent to Enjoying Life, Hold Security also donated $8,000 to the organization, which helps victims of the conflict in Ukraine.

The governments of Russia and Ukraine have been engaged in online battles, with Ukraine hiring cyber professionals to form its own cyber force to not only detect and stop Russian cyberattacks but to counter-hack if necessary.