Global Law Enforcement Operation Shuts Down Major Hacker Forum LeakBase

LeakBase, one of the world’s largest cybercrime forums, had operated in English on the open web since 2021. It allowed members to trade hacked data, credit card and bank account information, login credentials and attack tools. The data could be used for account takeovers, fraud and further intrusions, so the shutdown not only disrupted transactions but also gave law enforcement critical evidence for tracing transnational criminal networks.

The U.S. Department of Justice said on March 4, 2026, that the FBI and Europol had coordinated law enforcement agencies in 14 countries to take LeakBase offline between March 3 and 4, seizing two domains and its complete database. The forum had more than 142,000 members, about 32,000 posts, more than 215,000 private messages and hundreds of millions of stolen login credentials. Authorities did not disclose the value of transactions linked to the case or assets seized. Searches, arrests and interviews were also conducted in eight countries.