US, EU shut down LeakBase, a forum used by cybercriminals
What's the story
US and European law enforcement agencies have shut down LeakBase, a major online platform for cybercriminals. The site was known for sharing stolen passwords and hacking tools. The crackdown comes as part of a global effort to combat the trade in stolen credentials, which are often used to hack into personal accounts and steal data or cryptocurrency.
Criminal network
LeakBase had over 215,000 messages exchanged among users
LeakBase, which has been active since 2021, boasted a massive database with over 142,000 members and more than 215,000 messages exchanged among them. The site maintained an up-to-date repository of hacked databases containing hundreds of millions of account credentials, credit card information, as well as banking account and routing details.
International crackdown
Action against top 37 active users on forum
Europol, the EU's law enforcement agency, confirmed that around 100 enforcement actions were taken globally against LeakBase. This included action against the top 37 active users on the forum. The FBI also played a key role in shutting down the site by redirecting its domain to nameservers controlled by the agency.
Data preservation
Forum now displays seizure notice
In the wake of the shutdown, LeakBase now displays a seizure notice. The notice states that all content on the forum, including private messages and IP address logs, has been preserved. The FBI's cyber official Brett Leatherman told The Record that the investigation led to over 13 arrests as well as searches and interviews with 33 suspects while capturing the entire database of this notorious forum.