Long-dormant dark web site springs back to life, moving millions in Bitcoin.
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The dark web remains a hotbed for illicit activities, encompassing a range of offerings from stolen credit cards and compromised passwords to complete access to small businesses available for sale. However, one criminal market has stayed unusually inactive for nine years, with no signs of activity detected by dark web threat intelligence experts. That is, until now. The Nucleus Marketplace has suddenly been revived, facilitating the movement of approximately $77.5 million worth of Bitcoin, totalling 5,000 BTC, in a singular transaction. Here’s what we’ve discovered.
Nucleus Marketplace Awakens—Bitcoin Movement Begins
The Nucleus Marketplace was a fairly prominent criminal forum operating on the dark web from 2014 to 2016. During its active years, it traded a variety of goods, primarily drugs, along with fake identification and hacking services. This came to an abrupt end in 2016 when the site ceased operations. Speculation at the time suggested various reasons for its disappearance, ranging from law enforcement actions or hacking incidents by rival criminals, to an exit scheme by the operators to abscond with the estimated 5,000 BTC kept in its wallets. The exact circumstances have remained unclear, and the funds have stayed untouched until now.
Blockchain analysts from Arkham Intelligence noted on X on March 7 that the ancient dark web site has sprung back to life, showing signs of activity regarding the $400 million in Bitcoin it had accumulated. “Wallets belonging to Nucleus Marketplace came back online this morning after nine years of dormancy,” Arkham reported, “transferring $77.5M worth of Bitcoin to three new wallets.”
If this turns out to be an exit scam, the individuals behind the Nucleus Marketplace have certainly demonstrated patience. With $365 million in Bitcoin still at their disposal, this situation merits close attention. Both Arkham’s intelligence analysts and law enforcement agencies will undoubtedly be monitoring developments closely.
