93+ Billion Stolen Cookies Swarm The Dark Web

In an era where digital identities are the new currency, a new shadow economy is booming underground. According to a recent exposé conducted by Cyberdark and confirmed by threat intelligence firm NordStellar, the dark web has been flooded with a staggering 93.7 billion stolen browser cookies—an explosive 74% surge compared to last year. This isn’t a story about mere data; it’s about control, identity hijacking, and global exposure.

Cookies as Currency of the Underground What might seem like harmless bits of code to most users have become the cornerstone of a vast cybercriminal operation. Cookies, especially those containing session data, are now being traded like gold across black markets.

NordStellar’s in-depth scan of over 150 dark web marketplaces uncovered that 15.6 billion of these cookies are still active. That means millions of users, right now, are potentially wide open to hijacking attacks without ever typing a password.

The Malware Syndicate At the core of this operation lies a cabal of malware-as-a-service operations. Redline Stealer alone is responsible for 42 billion of the stolen cookies, though most were aged out or invalid. Still, malware like Vidar, LummaC2, and especially CryptBot have upped the ante:

Redline Stealer: 42 billion cookies stolen, 6.2% active
Vidar: 10.5 billion stolen, 7.2% active
LummaC2: 8.8 billion stolen, 6.5% active
CryptBot: 1.4 billion stolen, 83.4% active rate

CryptBot’s unprecedented efficiency has sparked alarm in cybersecurity circles. Its lean, surgical approach has made it the malware of choice for elite cybercrime syndicates.

How It Works The malware tools infiltrate browsers, scan cookie storage using scripts like document.cookie.split(';'), and exfiltrate the data to command-and-control servers. Once exfiltrated, cookies are packaged and posted to dark web forums in real-time—ready for cyber mercenaries to deploy them in session hijacks.

The analysis also tagged:

18 billion cookies with “ID”
1.2 billion labeled “session”
272.9 million tagged “auth”
61.2 million tagged “login”

The Victims and the Platform Spread Google services top the list: Gmail, Google Drive, and YouTube alone account for 4.5 billion stolen cookies. Microsoft, Facebook, and TikTok follow closely. More than 85.9% of the cookies originated from Windows devices, indicating their higher vulnerability.

Geographically, Brazil, India, Indonesia, and the United States are hardest hit. Notably, the UK stands out with a high 8.3% active rate among its 800 million stolen cookies.

AI Meets Infostealers Threat actors are evolving. Malware like Rhadamanthys now uses AI-powered OCR to extract cryptocurrency seed phrases from screenshots. This AI twist is pushing malware beyond basic credential theft into the realm of full-scale digital takeover.

The Threat Landscape Attackers are leveraging:

Legitimate-looking software downloads
MSI installers for stealth
Pirated applications as Trojan horses

What’s at stake? Your account access, your identity, your business. Active cookies can bypass two-factor authentication and be used to spread ransomware or craft precision-targeted phishing attacks.

What Can Be Done? Cyberdark recommends the following:

Clear cookies regularly
Use advanced endpoint protection
Implement behavioral security training
Segment user sessions and force frequent re-authentication

Conclusion This isn’t just a cybercrime story; it’s a glimpse into a new battlefield where identity is the prize and cookies are the ammunition. The Cyberdark Files will continue to expose the hidden engines of the digital underground.

For more investigative reports and dark web analysis, follow Cyberdark.

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#dark web #Google #Malware