The Department of Justice announced the arrest of the founder of the world’s largest hacker forum and the disruption of the forum. OPA

The founder of BreachForums was indicted today in the Eastern District of Virginia on criminal charges that he created and operated a massive online forum and marketplace for cybercriminals that, as of last week, has more than 340,000 members. In parallel with the March 15 arrest, the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General (HHS-OIG) conducted a disruption operation that took the breach forms offline.

According to court documents unsealed today, Connor Brian Fitzpatrick, 20, of Peekskill, New York, stole BreachForums as a marketplace for cybercriminals to sell, sell and trade since March 2022. Among the stolen items sold on the platform were bank account information, social security numbers, other personally identifiable information (PII). ), identity trails, hacking tools, compromised databases, unauthorized access to victim systems, and compromised online accounts with service login information. suppliers and traders.

Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. “Today we continue our work to dismantle key players in the cybercrime ecosystem,” Monaco said. Like its predecessor, RaidForums, which we brought down a year ago, BreachForums bridges the gap between hackers and looters eager to exploit it. To all those working in the darknet marketplace, take note: We will work with our law enforcement partners to take down illegal platforms and bring their administrators to justice in US courts.

“People expect their online data to be protected, and the Department of Justice is committed to making that happen,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polit Jr. said. “We must remain vigilant against the threat posed by those who attempt to compromise our digital security. We will disrupt platforms that facilitate the theft and distribution of personal information and bring those responsible to justice.”

Fitzpatrick’s victims included millions of American citizens and hundreds of American and foreign companies, organizations, and government agencies. Some of the stolen databases contained confidential customer information on telecommunications, social media, investments, healthcare services and Internet service providers. For example, on January 4, a BreachForums user leaked the names and addresses of nearly 200 million users of major US-based social networking sites. Additionally, on December 18, 2022, another BreachForums user posted details of approximately 87,760 members of InfraGuard, a partnership between the FBI and private sector companies focused on protecting critical infrastructure.

Jessica D., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. “Cybercrime victims and steals financial and personal information from millions of innocent people,” said Aber. This arrest sends a direct message to cybercriminals: let your exploits and illegal behavior be known and brought to justice.

FBI Deputy Director Paul Abate said: “The FBI will continue to devote all available resources to the prevention, disruption and mitigation of criminal enterprise.” “We will work with our federal and international partners to bring costs to bear on malicious cyber actors around the world and bring justice to the victims of the American people.”

“Following the seizure of RaidForums last year, cybercriminals have turned to BreachForums to buy and sell stolen data, including compromised databases, data tools, and the personal and financial information of millions of American citizens and businesses,” said Assistant Director David Sundberg of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “The FBI and our partners will not allow cybercriminals and their enablers to profit from data theft hidden behind keyboards. This arrest and disruption of another criminal marketplace demonstrates how strong our collective work is to dismantle the digital structures that facilitate cybercrime.”

As part of the scheme, Fitzpatrick allegedly supported the activities of cybercriminals by creating and operating a “Leaks Market” sub-division dedicated to buying and selling hacked or stolen information, tools to commit cybercrimes and other illegal materials. In order to facilitate transactions on the Forum, Fitzpatrick offers to act as a trusted broker or broker between individuals seeking to conduct such illegal transactions on the Website. Fitzpatrick also allegedly managed an “official” database section where Breachforms sold verified databases directly through the platform’s “credit” system. As of January 11, the official database section is said to contain 888 datasets containing more than 14 billion personal records. These databases are owned by various US and foreign companies, organizations and government agencies. Fitzpatrick allegedly profited from the scheme by charging forum credits and membership fees.

“This case sends a clear message that the private information of innocent members of the public cannot be illegally stolen, sold, or traded, and that malicious cyber actors will be held accountable,” HHS said. – OIG “HHS-OIG and our law enforcement partners remain committed to protecting the integrity and data of the American public and government networks from these devastating cyberattacks.”

The BreachForums website supports additional sections where users can discuss tools and techniques for hacking and exploiting hacked or stolen data, including the “Cracking,” “Leaks,” and “Tutorial” sections. The BreachForums website also includes a “Staff” section that appears to be operated by BreachForums administrators and moderators.

Fitzpatrick was charged with conspiracy to defraud an access device. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

Fitzpatrick’s arrest and BreachForums disruption comes nearly a year after the Department of Justice announced that it had seized former hacking marketplace RaidForums and filed an unsealed criminal charge against the founder and CEO of RaidForums, a UK extradition process. .

The law enforcement actions taken against Fitzpatrick and Breachforms are the result of an ongoing criminal investigation by the FBI Washington Field Office, FBI San Francisco Division and HHS-OIG by the US Secret Service, Homeland Security Investigations New York Field Office. The New York Police Department, the US Postal Inspection Service and the Peekskill Police Department. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern District of California, the District of Maryland and the Southern District of New York also assisted in this case.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs is handling the extradition.

The Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karina A. Cuylar, the Eastern District of Virginia, is prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is just an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.