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FBI-Led International Operation Takes Down Leakbase Cybercrime Forum

· Original article ↗

Summary

The FBI and partners dismantled Leakbase, seizing its database and infrastructure in a multi-country operation that resulted in 13 arrests. Officials say the forum traded stolen credentials and sensitive data; the scale of victim losses remains under investigation.

Key points

  • Operation Leak targeted Leakbase, a subscription-based forum where users bought and sold compromised credentials, personal information, and other sensitive data.
  • Authorities conducted 100 law-enforcement actions against 45 targets across more than a dozen countries, seizing and redirecting the forum’s domains and taking down its hosting infrastructure.
  • The operation resulted in 13 arrests, 32 searches, and interviews with 33 suspects; none of the arrests occurred in the United States.
  • The FBI seized Leakbase’s database. Officials said the forum had more than 142,000 registered members, 33,000 threads, and 215,000 messages.
  • Officials said data offered on the forum was often obtained through unauthorized access, frequently using SQL injection against unpatched web applications.
  • Investigators are still determining how much revenue the forum generated and the extent of losses to victims.

Article Details

Event Type
International law-enforcement takedown of the Leakbase cybercrime forum
Impact
Authorities carried out 100 law-enforcement actions across more than a dozen countries, seized Leakbase’s database and domains, and shut down its hosting infrastructure. The operation resulted in 13 arrests, 32 searches, and interviews with 33 suspects. Leakbase reportedly had more than 142,000 registered members and traded compromised credentials and other sensitive data; investigators were still assessing the resulting losses.

MITRE ATT&CK

T1190 · Exploit Public-Facing ApplicationThe article reports that Leakbase users obtained data through SQL injection attacks against unpatched web applications, consistent with exploitation of public-facing applications.

People

Brett LeathermanFBI cyber division assistant director who described the operation, the investigation, and Leakbase’s reported scale and activity.

Vendors

FlareThe threat monitoring company Flare previously described Leakbase as one of the “more sophisticated forums on the dark web, both in terms of the amount of sensitive data available and the mature approach to discovery

Countries

MalaysiaAuthorities carried out 100 law enforcement actions across more than a dozen countries and shut down hosting from the Netherlands to Malaysia.NetherlandsAuthorities carried out 100 law enforcement actions across more than a dozen countries and shut down hosting from the Netherlands to Malaysia.United StatesThe operation led to 13 arrests, 32 searches, and interviews with 33 suspects, with none arrested in the U.S.

Industries

GovernmentMuch of the data it offered was obtained through unauthorized access to government systems and U.S.

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