International Agencies Dismantle LeakBase Forum

International law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and Europol, dismantled the cybercrime forum LeakBase in a coordinated operation spanning 14 countries, shutting down the platform and arresting several suspects involved in trading stolen data.

The takedown, executed on March 3 and 4, targeted LeakBase, which had operated on the open web since 2021 and amassed more than 142,000 registered users. The English-language forum served as a hub for buying, selling, and exchanging compromised information, including account credentials, personally identifiable details, payment card data, and bank account information. It featured over 32,000 posts and 215,000 private messages, supported by a credit-based economy and reputation system that fostered trust among participants. One internal rule prohibited the sale or publication of data related to Russia, according to investigators.

Authorities seized two domains associated with the site, confiscated its entire database, and replaced the homepage with a seizure notice. The database, which included user accounts, posts, private messages, and IP logs, allowed officials to identify and pursue active members. Europol reported that the...