(Credit: FBI)
Federal investigators have taken down LeakBase, an online forum known for selling and hosting user information stolen in past data breaches.
The US also seized a LeakBase database containing user information, the Justice Department says. Europol also joined the takedown and noted that investigators de-anonymized "multiple users" who are likely active cybercriminals.
"By December 2025, LeakBase counted more than 142,000 registered users, approximately 32,000 posts, and over 215,000 private messages, underlining its scale and global reach,” the European law enforcement agency added.
Leakbase, which emerged in 2021, was notable for being a forum available on the open web via domains such as leakbase[.]ws and leakbase[.]la. The US has since taken over both domains, which now display a seizure notice.
(Credit: Internet Archive)The forum hosted numerous databases containing “hundreds of millions of account credentials,” taken from past data breaches and malware, according to the investigators, making it a valuable resource for cybercriminals.
“LeakBase allowed forum users to sell the information from stolen databases, including data illegally obtained from US corporations and individuals, and offered credit and debit card numbers, banking account and routing information, usernames and associated passwords which could facilitate additional account takeovers, as well as other sensitive business and personally identifiable information,” the Justice Department adds.
Europol also says it took action against “37 of the most active users,” which included “arrests, house searches and ‘knock-and-talk’ interventions.” The activities occurred in the US, Australia, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
However, security researchers have suspected that LeakBase originates from Russia, suggesting that its administrators remain free. "One of the forum’s notable internal rules prohibited the sale or publication of any data related to Russia," Europol noted.
The US has shut down hacker forums before, so we wouldn’t be surprised if a new site emerges to fill the void. However, the FBI’s Cyber Division Assistant Director, Brett Leatherman, says it's "sending a message that no criminal is truly anonymous."