Cybercrime feud erupts on dark web as notorious group claims hijack of rival's website

On September 20, a prominent cybercrime collective disclosed it had seized control of a rival's dark web platform, escalating a long-standing grudge. ShinyHunters, a notorious digital extortion organization, claimed to have exploited a software flaw in rival group cl0p's infrastructure, giving them dominion over the rival's operations.

"We basically own them now," ShinyHunters stated in an online exchange with Reuters. Cl0p, however, did not comment when contacted. The group's dark web presence was offline when Reuters attempted to access it on Sunday, but earlier that day, it displayed a message reading "Domain Seized By ShinyHunters" on a screenshot from cybersecurity research platform eCrime.ch.

Cybersecurity analysts confirmed the incident as genuine, noting that feuds within the dark web are not uncommon. ShinyHunters and cl0p had been engaged in a bitter rivalry over the alleged theft of a software vulnerability from Oracle's E-Business Suite earlier in the year. The zero-day flaw, which cl0p allegedly exploited to steal data from over 100 companies, was reportedly discovered by ShinyHunters first.

As tensions escalated, cl0p threatened to expose the identities of several rival members, while ShinyHunters vowed to reveal internal secrets of cl0p. The authenticity of ShinyHunters' account could not be independently verified. Both groups are known for their prowess in identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities in enterprise software.

In 2023, cl0p targeted tens of millions of individuals with a bug in MOVEit file management software, while ShinyHunters gained notoriety for hacking video game developer Rockstar Games and causing widespread disruptions to U.S. schools using its tools.