Nearly 1,850 Russian Companies Listed for Sale on the Darknet in a Year
In 2023, experts from the Solar Group discovered 1,844 Russian companies being advertised for sale on the darknet. This type of “product” is consistently in demand among fraudsters, as it allows them to conceal illegal activities.
Compared to 2022, the number of such listings increased by 42%. Over the past five years, Solar AURA’s database has accumulated information on 6,781 organizations put up for sale on the black market.
Why Criminals Buy Legal Entities
Cybercriminals purchase legal entities for various purposes, including money laundering, trading counterfeit goods, and conducting supply chain attacks. They are also used in fraudulent schemes as shell companies: an established business structure that has secretly changed ownership raises fewer suspicions than a brand-new company seeking partnerships.
“A shell company is easy to spot—even the most basic background check will reveal it. That’s why the trend on the black market in 2023 and this year is the purchase of ready-made legal entities for illegal activities,” explained Alexander Vurasko, head of the Solar AURA service. “The danger of such companies is that, despite their outward reliability—such as excellent financial and other indicators—doing business with them can pose serious risks.”
Illegal Services and Data Leaks
On the darknet and in Telegram channels, 13,300 ads for illegal services were also found. Offers related to the public sector were especially popular (selling accounts, data breaches, recruiting insiders—totaling 5,089 posts), as well as those in the financial sector (selling bank cards, access to clients’ online banking, assistance in opening accounts without visiting a bank—4,170 posts).
Analysis of leaked databases revealed 420 cases of confidential information leaks from Russian companies; more than half of these incidents occurred in the services and retail sectors.
This year, leaks have already been recorded at 170 companies. In total, 450 million personal data records have been made public, including 27.7 million email addresses and 137 million phone numbers.