Regulation enforcement businesses have formally seized management of the infamous BreachForums platform, an internet bazaar identified for peddling stolen information, for the second time inside a 12 months.
The web site (“breachforums[.]st”) has been changed by a seizure banner stating the clearnet cybercrime discussion board is beneath the management of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The operation is the results of a collaborative effort from authorities in Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the U.Okay., the U.S., and Ukraine.
The FBI has additionally taken management of the Telegram channel operated by Baphomet, who grew to become the administrator of the discussion board following the arrest of his predecessor Conor Brian Fitzpatrick (aka pompompurin) in March final 12 months.
It is price noting a previous iteration of BreachForums, hosted at breached.vc/.to/.co and managed by pompompurin, was seized by regulation enforcement in late June 2023.
“This Telegram chat is under the control of the FBI,” a message posted on the channel reads. “The BreachForums website has been taken down by the FBI and DOJ with assistance from international partners.”
“We are reviewing the site’s backend data. If you have information to report about cyber criminal activity on BreachForums, please contact us: t.me/fbi_breachforums breachforums@fbi.gov breachforums.ic3.gov.”
It is at present not clear if Baphomet and his different fellow administrator ShinyHunters have been arrested, though the seizure banner depicts the profile footage related to each of them as behind bars.
“From June 2023 until May 2024, BreachForums (hosted at breachforums.st/.cx/.is/.vc and run by ShinyHunters) 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,” the businesses mentioned.
BreachForums emerged in March 2022 following the regulation enforcement dismantling of RaidForums and the arrest of its proprietor “Omnipotent.” Following its shutdown in 2023, it resurfaced once more after Baphomet teamed up with ShinyHunters to launch a brand new web site beneath the identical identify.
