FBI seizes hacking forum BreachForums — again

The FBI, in collaboration with international law enforcement agencies, seized the infamous cybercrime forum BreachForums on Wednesday. This platform has been a hub for English-speaking hackers and cybercriminals to trade, sell, and advertise stolen data. Recently, a threat actor offered to sell personal information of Dell customers and data from a Europol portal on the site.

Despite previous seizures, including the arrest of its administrator Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, aka pompompurin, the forum has shown resilience. It was re-established by someone using the handle Baphomet, who managed the site through three different domains over the past year, according to the FBI.

When contacted by the media for comment, FBI spokesperson Samantha Shero and Department of Justice spokesperson Joshua Stueve declined to provide further details.

In a notable move, the authorities also took control of the forum’s official Telegram channel and the channel of one of the site’s administrators, Baphomet. Both channels displayed a message from the FBI, announcing the seizure and stating that the site’s backend data was under review.

The message encouraged anyone with information about cybercriminal activity on BreachForums to contact the FBI via a dedicated website. The FBI described BreachForums as a clear-net marketplace for illegal activities, including the trade of stolen access devices, means of identification, hacking tools, breached databases, and other illicit services, from June 2023 to May 2024.

ShinyHunters, another administrator of BreachForums, did not respond to a request for comment.

The method by which the authorities gained control of the Telegram channels remains unclear. It is possible that the FBI arrested Baphomet and seized control of his devices, or that Telegram complied with a legal order from the authorities. Telegram has not responded to a request for comment.

Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, the previous administrator of BreachForums, pleaded guilty to federal charges last July.