The saga of Breached/BreachForums and its alternatives continues, with one forum looking for a new owner while another claims to be the successor to the defunct cybercrime forum.
Exposed, a breached data forum that recently made headlines for publicly leaking the user database of RaidForums, is searching for a new owner. The announcement came shortly after the forum published a significant database from RaidForums, which was shut down in April 2022 following an international operation that resulted in the arrest of its administrator, Omnipotent.
In March 2023, Breached/BreachForums met a similar fate when its owner, Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, AKA Pompompurin, was arrested by the FBI. Since then, former Breached member Baphomet has been posting claims of launching a breached data forum under the same name.
While the BreachForums saga continues, cybercriminals are turning to alternative platforms. Exploit, a forum that attracted disgruntled members from Breached/BreachForums, has had its own issues with users expressing dissatisfaction with the influx of migration. Meanwhile, a hacker claiming to be a former member of the hacktivist group Anonymous announced the creation of a BreachForums alternative called kkksecforum in March 2022. However, the website is currently inaccessible.
Pwnedforums has also gained attention, with some users publicly posting doxed data. A similar concern was expressed with Pwnedforums that the platform was a DDoS honeytrap.
Sinistery, who founded and managed Pwnedforums, addressed these concerns in a post on April 1, emphasizing the platform was independent and dedicated to fostering open discussion and exchanging hacking knowledge. While Pwnedforums is rallying to gain traction, new cybercrime forums continue to emerge.
Throughout the evolving world of cybercrime forums and their alternatives, law enforcement agencies continue their efforts to crack down on cybercriminal activity. Earlier this year, UK law enforcement officials uncovered a network of thousands of cybercriminals involved in DDoS-for-hire schemes.
German police also recently raided FlyHosting, a web hosting company known for providing services to cybercriminals engaged in DDoS attacks and malware distribution. The company was allegedly involved in bulletproof hosting, enabling illegal activities to persist without detection.
As Breached/BreachForums and their alternatives continue to rise and fall, law enforcement agencies and cybersecurity firms will remain vigilant in detecting and investigating cybercriminal activity in the dark corners of the internet.