FBI and European partners dismantle Leakbase cybercrime forum with 13 arrests across 12+ countries

The FBI and European law enforcement agencies dismantled Leakbase, a subscription-based cybercrime forum operating since 2021 with over 142,000 registered members, executing 100 law enforcement actions against 45 targets across more than a dozen countries, seizing the forum's domains, shutting down hosting infrastructure from the Netherlands to Malaysia, and capturing the forum's entire database. Dubbed “Operation Leak” and led by the FBI's Salt Lake City field office, the effort resulted in 13 arrests, 32 searches, and interviews with 33 suspects, with the forum having sold stolen credentials, personally identifiable information, and software vulnerability exploits through a subscription model charging a few hundred dollars for premium access. FBI cyber division assistant director Brett Leatherman said the bureau expects arrested individuals to provide intelligence that helps investigators move against other criminal platforms, warning that actors who migrate to new forums “should recognize that we're going to follow them.”