FBI Seizes Online Data Black Market, BreachForums
Here at MGHS, we care a lot about online security. On Wednesday this week the data black market BreachForums was brought down by the FBI and DOJ. It was a place where compromised passwords, customer records, and other illegal data was traded between criminals of various kinds. It was one of the main avenues where compromised data from hacks or data breaches would reappear for sale to unscrupulous individuals. Now when one reaches the site, one is met by an advisory message informing them that BreachForums is now no more and that those in the know should report to various channels if they have more information on related cyber-criminal activity.
What’s Going On?
Agents are reported to be now at work analyzing the site’s backend data, aiming to find and potentially apprehend BreachForums’ own main administrators. The site had been taken down and set back up multiple times over the past few year or so. During which time its alleged founder, a certain Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, was apprehended and sentenced, pleading guilty to multiple charges.
BreachForums reappeared several times after that, being revived by a new individual on a new domain. This domain and telegram accounts belonging to the perpetrators have been seized by the FBI since. All of them now, if visited, display the same advisory message put out on the main site. These administrators are still potentially active and the authorities are reportedly working with BreachForums’ backend data to potentially find and prosecute them.
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