EDR-as-a-Service makes the headlines in the cybercrime landscape
EDR-as-a-Service makes the headlines in the cybercrime landscape
April 07, 2025 
Cybercriminals exploit compromised accounts for EDR-as-a-Service (Emergency Data Requests – EDR), targeting major platforms
According to a detailed analysis conducted by Meridian Group, an increasingly complex and structured phenomenon, commonly referred to as “EDR-as-a-Service,” is taking hold in the cybersecurity landscape. In a nutshell, some criminal groups are exploiting compromised accounts belonging to law enforcement and other government agencies to illicitly forward Emergency Data Requests (EDRs) to major online platforms. These falsely obtained credentials enable cyber criminals to successfully mimic a real-world investigation by inducing platform operators to provide extremely sensitive information.
FROM ACCOUNT THEFT TO A FULL-FLEDGED SERVICE: THE EVOLUTION OF THE MODEL
The phenomenon has rapidly upgraded complexity, as detailed in the Meridian Group report. While initially, criminals merely sold credentials belonging to government agencies or law enforcement, a “turnkey” model later emerged, covering every phase of the process. The service may thus involve directly handling the request to the platforms, up to delivering the data to whoever commissioned the operation. This approach reflects the “as-a-service” logic already prevalent in other areas of the cybercrime sector, significantly reducing the level of technical knowledge needed by those wishing to access this confidential data. By simply paying the fee, usually in cryptocurrencies, the customer will receive the sensitive material ready to be exploited.
UNDERGROUND FORUMS AND PAYMENT DYNAMICS
Payments are handled through mechanisms long rooted in underground trades. In Dark Web environments as well as on specialized forums, sellers are posting synthetic ads inviting potential buyers to contact them privately, often via Telegram, Session, and other encrypted messaging apps. Payments are mostly made in Bitcoin or Monero, to ensure confidentiality and irreversibility. In more organized circuits, some moderators provide an escrow service, i.e., they hold the amount in deposit until the buyer confirms the validity of the data received. This assurance system, combined with users’ feedback and reviews, contributes to the creation of a full-fledged marketplace displaying a level of internal organization and transparency quite similar to that of legitimate e-commerce channels.
OPERATIONAL MANUALS AND DECEPTION STRATEGIES
As further evidence of the increasing professionalization of this illicit sector, Meridian Group reports the publication of informational content designed to guide the proper use of EDR services, presented as a “detailed guide” on how to correctly complete and unlawfully submit the requests. With the help of these documents, even inexperienced operators with limited hacking skills can quickly acquire the necessary expertise to successfully forward counterfeit EDRs. Guidebooks are also available to instruct on how to exploit the information obtained, in order to more effectively target victims through social engineering and doxxing campaigns.
RISKS AND IMPACTS ON CYBERSECURITY AND PRIVACY
The availability of accounts linked to law enforcement and other government agencies, combined with the ease Threat Actors have in “renting” an EDR service, jeopardizes both the security of governmental infrastructures and the protection of citizens’ privacy. In case a criminal obtains private information, such as IP addresses, phone numbers, and domiciles, it may be exploited to initiate fraudulent schemes, blackmail, or doxing operations. This can impact not only the general public but also pose a heightened risk to individuals with significant media exposure, including activists, journalists, and politicians.
The Meridian Group report further underscores that, alongside individual actors, a potential interest is emerging among ransomware groups in these techniques and methods, foreshadowing a further evolution of their criminal model. Although no such developments have been concretely documented yet, there is a growing possibility that these groups may eventually combine ransomware attacks with highly specific data obtained through fraudulent EDRs.
CONCLUSIONS AND POTENTIAL COUNTERMEASURES
The swift rise of “EDR-as-a-Service” black market underscores the adeptness of cybercriminals in evolving and transforming a mere credentials theft in an all-round and full sustainable system, capable of providing a range of sensitive information on demand.
These EDRs, representing the official cooperation channels between law enforcement agencies and social media platforms, are at risk of becoming a double-edged sword. The lack of a robust verification process, combined with the trust placed in authorities, increases the risk to users’ digital security and privacy.
Meridian Group therefore recommends strengthening validation procedures, including stricter authentication systems for law enforcement requests and targeted cross-checks by tech companies for EDRs—while ensuring that such measures do not compromise the responsiveness these emergency channels were originally designed to provide. Indeed, only close collaboration and a swift overhaul of existing processes can curb a trend which, if allowed to flourish and become further organized, would pose a serious threat to the integrity of institutional channels and the privacy of a vast number of citizens. The urgency of a solution to this problem becomes even more pressing when considering the rapid evolution of the phenomenon, as evidenced by the current speed and deftness with which information can be commercialized, shared, and fraudulently exploited.
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Pierluigi Paganini
(SecurityAffairs – hacking, EDR-as-a-Service)
