AlphaBay Darknet Market Reopens After 2017 Shutdown

One of the largest darknet marketplaces, AlphaBay, which operated from 2014 until its shutdown by law enforcement in 2017, is back online. The original closure of AlphaBay, along with another major marketplace, Hansa Market, was the result of a large international operation involving the United States, Canada, Thailand, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, France, Lithuania, as well as Europol, the FBI, and the DEA. According to the FBI, AlphaBay was ten times larger than the infamous Silk Road, with 200,000 users and 40,000 vendors. The platform hosted over 250,000 listings for drugs, more than 100,000 listings for stolen or fake identification documents and access devices, counterfeit goods, malware, and other hacking tools and services.

Shortly before AlphaBay was taken down, 25-year-old Canadian citizen Alexandre Cazes, believed to be one of the site’s administrators and known by the alias Alpha02, was arrested in Thailand. On July 12, 2017, Cazes died by suicide in a Thai prison. However, another administrator responsible for security, known as DeSnake, managed to evade law enforcement and remained at large for years.

Now, according to Bleeping Computer, DeSnake unexpectedly announced on a forum late last week that AlphaBay has reopened and is ready for business. To confirm his identity, DeSnake attached his original PGP public key, which he used during AlphaBay’s peak years.

Journalists note that one forum user has already verified DeSnake’s key and confirmed he was part of the AlphaBay team. Another user also confirmed the administrator’s identity after discussing details “only an AlphaBay staff member would know.”

In a lengthy statement, DeSnake explained his intention to set new standards and build a “professionally managed, anonymous, secure marketplace.” He wrote that he wants to create an autonomous and anonymous decentralized network of marketplaces, where anyone can launch their own platform. According to his description, this would resemble an Amazon for the darknet, where buyers and sellers can move between stores using a single account, without having to trust any one party with their cryptocurrency.

DeSnake claims the new AlphaBay is designed for long-term operation, using secure and proven code, bulletproof servers, and protections against failures caused by both hardware issues and police raids. He also promotes the automated AlphaGuard system, which “guarantees that users/vendors can access funds in their wallets (including escrow) at any time via I2P/Tor,” and an automated dispute resolution system aimed at resolving issues between buyers and sellers without moderator intervention.

New AlphaBay Rules

DeSnake outlined a brief set of rules for the revamped AlphaBay to avoid unnecessary attention from law enforcement:

• No harm to others (no hitman services, etc.);
• No discussion of weapons (even for self-defense);
• No erotica/pornography of any kind (logins for major sites are allowed);
• No fentanyl or substances containing or based on fentanyl;
• No COVID-19 vaccines;
• No doxing or threats of doxing;
• No activity related to Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan (people, organizations, governments), or data of citizens from these countries;
• No ransomware sales, seeking access brokers for ransomware deployment, or discussion of ransomware.

Journalists also note that AlphaBay now only accepts Monero cryptocurrency. Currently, only two products are listed for sale, both of which are drugs. Forum statistics show that the new AlphaBay has 19 members who have exchanged 72 messages so far.