US and EU police shut down LeakBase, a site accused of sharing stolen passwords and hacking tools

US and European law enforcement authorities seized the database from LeakBase, which prosecutors described as “one of the largest online forums for cybercriminals in the world” to share stolen passwords and hacking tools.

American and European police confiscated the site earlier this week, and say its database includes more than 142,000 members and more than 215,000 messages sent between members.

Authorities said LeakBase has been operating since 2021, and has a constantly maintained archive of compromised databases, including hundreds of millions of account credentials, credit card and bank account numbers, and routing information.

This is the latest takedown targeting sites that trade stolen credentials, which are increasingly being used to break into people’s accounts and steal data and cryptocurrencies.

Europol said in a statement that around 100 enforcement actions had been taken around the world, including action against the forum’s 37 largest active users. Earlier Wednesday, the FBI redirected the site’s domain to name servers controlled by the agency, effectively shutting down the site.

Leakbase now displays a seizure notice, stating that forum contents, private messages, and IP address logs have been preserved. According to The Record, which interviewed FBI cyber official Brett Leatherman, the investigation led to the arrests of more than 13 people, searches and interviews of 33 suspects, and the seizure of the entire forum database.