How Ukraine Turned Russia’s Illegal Data Market Into an Intelligence Goldmine

In Russia, the illegal information market is spiraling out of control, a situation that only benefits Ukrainian intelligence. 

The Gaze reports, referring to The Guardian.

For many years, Russia had a parallel “probiv” market — an illicit system for trading personal and government data that relied on corrupt officials, bank employees, and security service personnel. "Probiv", literally meaning to break through something, made it possible for journalists, police, and even criminal groups could access passport information, travel histories, vehicle registrations, and other sensitive data.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, Russian authorities have begun viewing “probiv” not as a useful tool but as a threat. Ukrainian hackers have increasingly exploited this market for their own purposes, causing damage to Russia.

Legislative changes and active crackdowns on market operators aimed to curb data leaks; however, many leading brokers moved their operations abroad and began publishing information without restrictions.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian hackers and intelligence groups continue to leverage the situation, gaining access to state and commercial databases and releasing them publicly. 

Notably, last year the KibOrg group published data on approximately 24 million individuals and over 13 million organizations, demonstrating that accessing confidential Russian data on the market has become significantly easier.

Russian cyber operations continue to reveal the flaws in the Kremlin’s digital systems. A striking example is the massive hack of the state-owned messenger MAX less than two months after its launch: data of nearly all users — over 46 million records — was exposed online. The messenger, promoted as a “reliable and secure” tool for digital passports and access to government services, instead became a symbol of the Russian authorities’ helplessness in cybersecurity.

The cyber dimension has now become another key front in the war, with both Russia and Ukraine carrying out attacks aimed at stealing data or damaging critical infrastructure. 

As The Gaze reported earlier, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has repelled more than 2,300 Russian cyberattacks this year. 

Read also on The Gaze: The Invisible Front: Stolen Ukrainian IP Addresses Become Russia’s Cyber Shield