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US and European law enforcement agencies have seized the infrastructure of LeakBase, an online forum long accused of facilitating the trade in stolen passwords, hacked databases and cybercrime tools.
Prosecutors described the platform as one of the world’s largest hubs of cybercriminal activity, alleging that it hosted a continuously updated archive of compromised data, including hundreds of millions of account credentials, credit card details and banking information. Authorities say the site has been operating since 2021.
According to officials, LeakBase has more than 142,000 registered members and more than 215,000 messages exchanged between users. The forums were reportedly used to distribute stolen data and tools that enabled account takeover, financial fraud, ransomware operations, and cryptocurrency theft.
This coordinated operation involved multiple law enforcement actions globally. Europol stated that around 100 actions had been taken worldwide, including actions targeting 37 of the platform’s most active users. Authorities confirmed that arrests, searches and interviews were conducted as part of the investigation.
Earlier this week, the FBI redirected the site’s domain to a name server under its control, effectively disabling access to the platform. The forum now displays a seizure notice indicating that its contents, private messages, and IP address logs have been preserved as evidence.
Officials said the investigation led to more than a dozen arrests and the collection of the forum’s entire database. The data seized is expected to support ongoing prosecutions and additional law enforcement actions.
This takedown is part of a broader international effort targeting online marketplaces and forums involved in the sale and distribution of stolen credentials. Such platforms are increasingly being linked to account breaches, financial fraud, ransomware campaigns and cryptocurrency-related crimes.
Law enforcement agencies have intensified cross-border cooperation in recent years to disrupt cybercrime networks operating in multiple jurisdictions, reflecting the growing global impact of credential theft and digital financial crimes.
