Dismantling of Stryxx lookup site in France: three administrators detained
The OFAC has dismantled Stryxx, an illegal search engine exposing private data belonging to millions of French residents. Three administrators have been arrested.
First dismantling of a lookup site in France: OFAC strikes Stryxx
The Anti-Cybercrime Office (OFAC) has proceeded with the dismantling of an illegal lookup site, a first in France, reports siecledigital.fr. Three administrators of the platform have been detained and the site taken offline.
Lookup sites are clandestine search engines that compile and expose personal data — dates of birth, addresses, social security numbers, IBANs — concerning millions of French residents. Some also allow access to information about public figures. Several of these platforms remain accessible on the regular internet.
Stryxx: 730 million lines of data indexed
The head of the OFAC, Nicolas Guidoux, stated: "The OFAC has detained the three administrators of the lookup initially known as Reacher, then renamed Stryxx, which they took offline at the same time." He described the operation as the "first dismantling in France of a platform specialising in the organisation, compilation and resale of data".
The site had been put online in March last year. According to Guidoux, it already displayed "730 million lines of indexed data and more than three million searches carried out" at the time of its dismantling. The platform offered users subscription packages or the purchase of credits to carry out searches.
These sites are fed by massive data thefts, notably those targeting the tax administration and the Ministry of Education during the summer. The operators of these platforms acquire the stolen data, either by purchasing it on specialised forums, or by obtaining it free of charge. Some sites go further, offering the people concerned the opportunity to pay to have their own information deleted.
BrixHub in the sights of the Minister for Digital Affairs
While Stryxx is now offline, other lookup sites remain accessible. BrixHub is among those concerning the authorities. The Minister Delegate for Digital Affairs, Anne Le Hénanff, has decided to refer the matter to the judiciary against this platform. On X, she stated: "Those who trade in our data will have to answer for their actions."
Nicolas Guidoux indicated that this first dismantling "marks the total commitment of the OFAC in the fight against data exfiltration and its determination to tackle all links in the cybercriminal chain, whether it be the exfiltration or the resale of this data". Further closures of lookup sites are expected in the coming weeks.
Source: Google News MA — Crime (fr)