Major data leak forum LeakBase seized by FBI, Europol, and shut down

Date:
Thu, 05 Mar 2026 10:59:50 +0000

Description:
The website was taken offline, and potential members arrested.

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now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter Europol dismantles LeakBase underground data forum Platform hosted stolen
data trading with global reach Authorities seized domain and targeted active users Several people have allegedly been arrested during a wide-ranging
police operation which sought to dismantle a popular underground data leak forum.

Europol announced a major international operation which took down LeakBase, a forum that, as the agency explains, established itself as a central hub in
the cybercrime ecosystem. It was set up in 2021, and within four years had more than 142,000 registered users, publishing some 32,000, posts and sending more than 215,000 private messages. You may like FBI seizes RAMP cybercrime forum used by ransomware gangs Microsoft, Europol take down global phishing
as a service network which was able to bypass 2FA with ease Microsoft hits global virtual desktop cybercrime phishing platform - 'RedDVS' caused
phishing chaos and resulted in millions of losses Interventions, house searches, and arrests On this forum, which operated on the open web and in English, users could buy, sell, and exchange compromised data, stolen from various businesses and individuals across the world. Russia was apparently
off limits, and the forum did not allow the sale or publication of any data related to the country.

On March 3, 2026, law enforcement authorities across multiple countries and jurisdictions took around 100 actions, and made house searches,
knock-and-talk interventions, and arrests.

Europol did not say how many people were arrested, under what charges, or where they were located. It did say that the police took measures against 37 of the forums most active users.

A day later, it seized the forums domain and defaced it. The forums database was also confiscated by the authorities, who are now working to deanonymize users and have apparently already engaged directly with several suspects. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro
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This operation shows that no corner of the internet is beyond the reach of international law enforcement. What began as a shadowy forum for stolen data has now been dismantled, and those who believed they could hide behind anonymity are being identified and held accountable, said Edvardas ileris, Head of Europols European Cybercrime Centre.

This is a clear message to cybercriminals everywhere: if you traffic in other peoples stolen information, law enforcement will find you and bring you to justice. The best antivirus for all budgets Our top picks, based on
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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/major-data-leak-forum-leakbase-seized-b y-fbi-europol-and-shut-down


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