Genesis Market, an online-fraud-facilitation website and marketplace, has today been closed by an international joint effort coordinated by various police forces. Law enforcement agencies around the world took part in synchronized raids, including at locations in the UK and USA. 208 searches have been carried out, beginning at dawn on Tuesday 4 April, and a total of 119 suspected individuals have been arrested. This operation was spearheaded by the FBI in the US and the Dutch National Police. Consequently, users of the genesis.market website have been greeted with a boastful message and infographic on the home and login pages: "Operation Cookie Monster. This website has been seized."

Sophos, a leading software and hardware security vendor, has previously identified genesis.market as: "an invitation-only marketplace" from which buyers can acquire stolen credentials, cookies, and digital fingerprints that are gathered from compromised systems." According to the company's research, the illegal marketplace was also identified as an Initial Access Broker (IAB) - a business that compromises systems and services, steals data, and sells it. Genesis Market has special engagement capabilities in the field of illegally acquiring "credentials, cookies, and digital fingerprints". This stolen data was often sold on under individual lots, but the site also offered a longer term supply of data packages via a subscription service. This would offer the customer an up-to-date information trail, be it the tracking of an individual person or a collective.Genesis Market was also found to offer its clients: "a polished (user) interface with good data-correlation capabilities; effective and well-maintained tools for customers, including a robust search function; and mainstream accoutrements such as an FAQ, user support, pricing in dollars (though payment is in Bitcoin), and competent copy-editing (functions)." The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) has described the total of these offerings as: "an enormous enabler of fraud." It is estimated that this particular hive of iniquity had 80 million sets of credentials and digital fingerprints available for purchase, prior to the site's shutdown and arrests of personnel. The Dutch Police force has created an online portalwhere members of the public can check whether their information has been compromised and distributed by Genesis Market activities.

Europol has released its own statement and summary about the joint effort: "An unprecedented law enforcement operation involving 17 countries has resulted in the takedown of Genesis Market, one of the most dangerous marketplaces selling stolen account credentials to hackers worldwide. As a result of an action day on 4 April, this illegal service was shut down and its infrastructure seized. Simultaneous actions were also carried out across the globe against the users of this platform, resulting in 119 arrests, 208 property searches and 97 knock and talk measures."According to Europol, the following agencies were involved in Operation Cookie Monster:

• Australia: Australian Federal Police (AFP), State and Territory Police Forces
• Canada: 25 Law Enforcement Agencies supported by Sûreté du Québec (SQ) & Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
• Denmark: National Police (Politi)
• Estonia: Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei ja Piirivalveamet)
• Finland: National Bureau of Investigation (Keskusrikospoliisi/ Centralkriminalpolisen)
• France: National Police (Police Nationale)
• Germany: Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt)
• Italy: National Police (Polizia di Stato)
• Netherlands: National Police (Politie)
• New Zealand: New Zealand Police - Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa
• Poland: Central Cybercrime Bureau (Centralne Biuro Zwalczania Cyberprzestępczości)
• Romania: National Police (Poliția Română)
• Spain: National Police (Policia Nacional) and Civil Guard (Guardia Civil)
• Sweden: Swedish Police Authority (Polisen)
• Switzerland: Federal Police (fedpol), Cantonal Police of Zurich (Kantonspolizei Zürich)
• United Kingdom: National Crime Agency (NCA)
• United States: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)