BreachForums—probably the largest dark web marketplace for stolen data to be leaked and sold—has been seized by law enforcement.
Now, both the regular and the TOR domain of BreachForums are plastered with a message telling visitors the site is now under control of the FBI.
The FBI said BreachForums and its predecessor Raidforums was:
“…operating as a clear-net marketplace for cybercriminals to buy, sell, and trade contraband, including stolen access devices, means of identification, hacking tools, breached databases, and other illegal services.”
Raidforums ran from early 2015 until February 2022. The first iteration of BreachForums was then set up in March 2022 and ran until March 2023, when US law enforcement arrested the alleged operator, “Pompompurin”, in New York.
A new administrator then rose to the occasion and said they were working on a plan to get the forum through the problems caused by that arrest. But on March 21, 2023, the new administrator announced the decision to shut BreachForums down.
Another forum administrator going by the account name “Baphomet” then took over.
According to BleepingComputer, the FBI has also seized the site’s Telegram channel, with law enforcement sending messages to the channel on behalf of the forum’s operator “Baphomet”.
BreachForums was in use just last week for a big name breach when a cybercriminal put up for sale breached customer data taken from Dell between 2017-2024.
We’ll keep you posted on any new developments.
Has your data been exposed?
If you want to find out how much of your data has been exposed online, you can try our free Digital Footprint scan. Fill in the email address you’re curious about (it’s best to submit the one you most frequently use) and we’ll send you a free report.
We don’t just report on threats – we help safeguard your entire digital identity
Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Protect your—and your family’s—personal information by using identity protection.
