BreachForums

History

2024: Forum hijacking by FBI forces

The FBI, in collaboration with international law enforcement agencies, seized the BreachForums hacker forum. Its administrators and owners have been arrested. This was reported on May 15, 2024 by TechCrunch.

BreachForums was the largest English-language forum for hackers and cybercriminals, allowing them to advertise their services and trade stolen data.

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These are not the first actions of law enforcement officers against the forum. In 2023, the authorities seized the previous version of the forum three months after the arrest of site administrator Conor Brian Fitzpatrick (nickname pompompurin). Soon after, a Baphomet user restored the site and took over. According to FBI, the forum changed its domain three times a year.

Unlike the previous seizure of the site, this time the FBI also gained control of the site's official Telegram channel. In addition, the channel of the user Baphomet, who managed the site, was captured. Both channels posted the same statement from the FBI, which claimed that the bureau was engaged in "analyzing backend data." The statement also contains a link to a special form on the FBI website.

From June 2023 to May 2024, BreachForums functioned as a marketplace for cybercriminals to sell, buy and exchange contraband, including illegal access devices, hacking tools, hacked databases and other illegal goods, the FBI said in a statement.

By May 2024, it is not known how the seizure took place. Experts call the arrest of Baphomet and gaining control over its devices the most likely option. There is also a version that the Telegam messenger responded to an FBI request and gave them access to accounts.^[1]

Notes