The major cryptocurrency, Bitcoin (BTC), continues to be actively used for illicit activity. Anonymous hackers have taken the data of over 129 million Russian automobile owners to expose information technology on the darknet in exchange for cryptocurrency.

The leaked data includes the full names, addresses, passport numbers and other data belonging to millions of Russian automobile drivers, Russian news agency RBC reported May 15.

The stolen data is claimed to be leaked from the registry of Russia's patrol jurisdiction, the General Administration for Traffic Safety of the Ministry of Internal Diplomacy of Russia. The authenticity of data has reportedly been confirmed by an employee of a local car sharing visitor.

The leaked information is being sold for cryptocurrency, RBC said, citing an original study by local publication Vedomosti. Equally such, the full version of the database costs 0.3 BTC, which amounts to nearly $2,900 as of press fourth dimension. The hackers besides offered to buy some "exclusive" information for ane.v BTC ($14,400), the written report notes.

Cryptocurrencies are existence increasingly used for illicit activity on darknet markets. According to Chainalysis — a New York-based blockchain analytics house — the volume of darknet markets' crypto flows doubled in 2022 for the first time in four years.

Cybercriminals often sell stolen data on the darknet for almost null or even give it abroad for gratis. In mid-April 2022, hackers were selling over 500,000 accounts of pop video conferencing platform Zoom for less than a penny each.

In March, cryptocurrency fund Trident Crypto Fund suffered a major security breach, resulting in the theft of 266,000 usernames and passwords.