The US and Europol exposed LeakBase, one of the largest hacker forums in the world with 142,000 participants

Operation to Shut Down LeakBase: Key Facts

When Cooperation – U.S. Department of Justice and Europol 14 countries (including the United States, Australia, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom) March 3‑4
Target – hacker forum LeakBase
Typical network (English language) – Community size >142,000 participants – Number of posts >215,000 publications

What Was Done
1. Infrastructure Seizure

The Department of Justice announced the seizure of LeakBase servers that served users worldwide.

2. Notice on the Platform

A message is now posted on the site stating that data were seized as part of a coordinated Europol operation (The Hague).

3. Materials Discovered

- Hundreds of millions of accounts
- Credit and debit card numbers, bank details
- Routing information and confidential business/personal data
All of this was stolen from American companies and private individuals.

4. International Reach

Searches, arrests, and interrogations were carried out in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

5. Total Number of Operations

Approximately 100 actions against the 37 most active users on the platform.

6. Use of Evidence

The FBI seized accounts, posts, payment data, private messages, and IP‑address logs – these materials will be used in court proceedings.

Why It Matters
- Rise in cybercrime: by 2025, damage is estimated at $10.5 trillion, almost comparable to the GDPs of the United States and China.

- Trend toward automation of attacks: AI use makes hacking operations larger‑scale and less detectable.

The LeakBase operation demonstrates governments’ worldwide efforts to combat cybercrime but also underscores that security problems will only worsen as technology advances.