Breachforum __hot__ -
and administrator "Baphomet" relaunched the site. This iteration was shuttered by the FBI and international partners in May 2024. Recent Seizures and Leaks (2025–2026): October 2025
, the forum itself suffered a "doomsday" data breach. A database containing records for roughly 324,000 users
, as researchers and security firms monitor the site to alert organizations of newly exposed data. www.deleteme.com high-profile data breaches that originated on BreachForums, or more details on the legal proceedings against its administrators?
use the platform to issue public extortion demands to large corporations. Community & Tutorials breachforum
The site quickly became the primary hub for "black hat" hackers to trade:
BreachForums has hosted some of the most damaging corporate and governmental data leaks of the decade. The exposure of these databases fuels secondary crimes such as identity theft, credential stuffing, and phishing campaigns. Target Entity / Incident Key Exposed Data Impacted Secondary Cyber Risks Created
For example, a hacker named Bjorka leaked government data and sold the information on the BreachForum website, even more recently, www.emerald.com Royal Mail Group Data Breach: Cybersecurity Insights and administrator "Baphomet" relaunched the site
BreachForums first appeared on the radar of cybersecurity experts and law enforcement agencies in 2020. The platform was initially created as a replacement for the popular hacking forum, Breach, which had been shut down by authorities earlier that year. The new platform, BreachForums, quickly gained traction among cybercriminals and hackers, who flocked to the site to buy, sell, and trade stolen data, including:
Operating as the spiritual successor to the notorious RaidForums, BreachForums quickly grew to become the premier marketplace for leaked databases, stolen credentials, and high-profile corporate data. Despite multiple international law enforcement seizures and the arrests of its key administrators, the forum has repeatedly resurfaced, highlighting the persistent challenges global authorities face in dismantling cybercrime infrastructure. The Genesis: Filling the RaidForums Vacuum
The forum operated on a strict credit system. Users had to pay or contribute their own leaked data to unlock corporate databases uploaded by others. This created a self-sustaining ecosystem driven by an escalating cycle of cyber thefts. The Crackdown: The Arrest of Conor Brian Fitzpatrick A database containing records for roughly 324,000 users
The newly resurrected BreachForums adopted a more aggressive defensive posture, frequently switching domains and using robust content delivery networks (CDNs) to mitigate distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks and avoid law enforcement takedown notices.
RaidForums was the top-tier data breach site until it was seized by federal law enforcement in 2022.
The dark web has long been a hub for illicit activities, with numerous online marketplaces emerging and disappearing over the years. One such platform that gained significant attention in recent times is BreachForums, a notorious online market that specialized in buying and selling stolen data, hacking tools, and other cybercrime-related services. In this article, we will explore the history of BreachForums, its operations, and the circumstances surrounding its eventual demise.
Even if you have never visited the site, BreachForums likely affects you. The data traded there fuels the global wave of:
BreachForums did not emerge in a vacuum; it is the direct spiritual and structural successor to a lineage of notorious hacking marketplaces: