Deepfake porn network exploits payment platforms via gaming sites
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A coordinated network of non-consensual deepfake pornography platforms disguises transactions as video game sales to evade payment processor detection.
Bellingcat's investigation uncovered a loosely affiliated network of deepfake pornography sites—Clothoff, Nudify, Undress, and DrawNudes—operating as a single technical infrastructure while appearing separate. The platforms generate non-consensual intimate images using AI and have accumulated tens of millions of website visits in recent months. The network exploits legitimate payment platforms by masquerading transactions as video game content sales, using gaming marketplaces G2A and Skinsback, along with cryptocurrency processors and crowdfunding services. They employ 24/7 "dealers" who provide individual payment accounts and redirect URLs to obscure the true nature of transactions, evading detection by payment providers who prohibit adult content and non-consensual imagery. The investigation traced the operation to multiple individuals including Vitalii Ionov (based in Valencia, Spain), who leads affiliated entities Aurora Borealis and IBS Tech, along with other operators across Ukraine, Latvia, Estonia, New Zealand, and the United States. The sites operate Telegram groups with hundreds of thousands of followers and have faced referrals to authorities in multiple countries. Payment processors contacted by Bellingcat (G2A, Stripe, PayPal, Shopify, Patreon, Coinbase) suspended accounts or initiated investigations after being notified.
Mentioned in this report
Detection guidance
2 detections for this report are in the app — rules that match its indicators, converted to Splunk SPL, to Elastic where their fields map onto Elastic's integrations and to Microsoft Defender XDR KQL wherever Defender records the activity, plus YARA and Suricata. Three days of it free, no card.
Source reporting: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/02/23/behind-a-secretive-global-network-of-non-consensual-deepfake-pornography
What this brief leaves out
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