Russian ‘Darknet’ Market Tied to Ransomware Is Shut Down

U.S. and German officials said Tuesday that an international law-enforcement effort had shut down the world’s largest “darknet” marketplace, saying Hydra Market had facilitated ransomware attacks, drug deals and other criminal activity.

The move against Hydra—which served mainly Russian-speaking countries—is one of the biggest stings ever against the darknet, a network of websites in which users pay for illegal goods and services using cryptocurrencies.