The dark prescription: inside the infrastructure of illegal online pharmacies

Wednesday 24 September 16:30 - 17:00, Red room

Martin Chlumecký & Lubos Bever (Gen Digital)

The internet is flooded with fake pharmacies – over 95% of them operate illegally, selling everything from counterfeit medications to unapproved or prescription drugs. These operations don't just steal money or data – they put lives at risk. And behind the scenes, a sophisticated cybercriminal infrastructure is fuelling it all.

In this talk, we expose the hidden architecture that enables these global operations. By analysing network setups, payment gateways, code reuse, and advertising tactics, we connected thousands of fraudulent pharmacy sites to a single, well-organized cybercrime group. This actor exploits Google indexing, hijacks legitimate medical sites, and leverages public hosting to appear trustworthy – all while funnelling users through spam, adult content platforms, and even AI chatbot prompts.

The most aggressively pushed products? Drugs that people are desperate to get: erectile dysfunction medications, powerful antibiotics, and – increasingly – expensive and trendy weight loss treatments. The real cost? Compromised data, empty bank accounts, and in the worst cases, dangerous health consequences.

We'll walk through how this ecosystem works, how it hides in plain sight, and what the cybersecurity community can do to better detect and disrupt these digital drug lords – before more lives are put at risk.

	Martin Chlumecký Martin Chlumecký is a seasoned malware analyst at Gen, where he has been contributing his expertise for the past five years. His professional scope encompasses the analysis of malware, botnets, and DDoS attacks, along with addressing web threats, phishing schemes, and crypto scams. He is dedicated to safeguarding digital environments and mitigating online threats.
	Lubos Bever Lubos Bever is a threat analyst at Gen, where he has been contributing his expertise for the past year. His specialization lies in analysing online threats, particularly those targeting online shops. Additionally, he addresses threats associated with malicious PDF files, ensuring comprehensive protection against various digital risks.

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