Russia detains suspected operator of cybercrime forum LeakBase

Authorities in Russia have detained a suspected administrator of the cybercrime forum LeakBase, according to a report released Wednesday by the state-owned news agency TASS.

LeakBase had been described by the U.S. Department of Justice as “one of the world’s largest online forums for cybercriminals,” known for facilitating the exchange of hacking tools, stolen credentials, and other illicit data. Earlier this month, authorities in the United States and Europol confirmed that they had taken down the platform’s official website and seized its database, which reportedly contained more than 142,000 registered members and approximately 215,000 messages.

According to TASS, the individual suspected of operating and creating LeakBase has not been publicly identified. The person is said to be a resident of Taganrog, a coastal city located in southern Russia.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the reported arrest. Meanwhile, Europol clarified that it had no involvement in the detention. “We don’t cooperate with Russian authorities and were not involved in the reported arrest,” said Claire Georges in a statement.

LeakBase, which first appeared in 2021, hosted a large archive of compromised data sets. These included hundreds of millions of usernames and passwords, along with sensitive financial information such as banking account details, routing numbers, and credit card data.

The Justice Department has stated that the global operation targeting LeakBase involved law enforcement agencies across 14 countries. Authorities carried out search warrants, arrests, and interviews in multiple jurisdictions, including Australia, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

In total, 13 arrests were made as part of the broader crackdown, according to reporting from The Record.