US and European law enforcement have seized databases from Leakbase, which prosecutors described as “one of the world’s largest online forums for cybercriminals” to share stolen passwords and hacking tools.
US and European police seized the site earlier this week and said it had more than 142,000 members in its database and more than 215,000 messages sent between members.
Officials said Leakbase has been operating since 2021, and contains a continuously maintained collection of hacked databases, including millions of account credentials, credit card numbers, and banking account and routing information.
This latest takedown targeted sites that trade in stolen credentials, which are being used to break into people’s accounts and steal data and cryptocurrency.
Europol said in a statement Nearly 100 enforcement actions were taken worldwide, including steps taken against the top 37 active users on the platform. Earlier on Wednesday, the FBI redirected the site’s domain to nameservers controlled by the agency, effectively shutting down the site.
leakbase now displays A seizure notice, stating that the forum’s content, private messages, and IP address logs had been preserved. according to recordWho interviewed FBI Cyber Officer Brett Leatherman, the investigation resulted in more than 13 arrests, 33 suspects were searched and interviewed, and the forum’s entire database was seized.
