In
a
sudden
turn
of
events,
Baphomet,
the
current
administrator
of
BreachForums,
said
in
an
update
on
March
21,
2023,
that
the
hacking
forum
has
been
officially
taken
down
but
emphasized
that “it’s
not
the
end.”
“You
are
allowed
to
hate
me,
and
disagree
with
my
decision
but
I
promise
what
is
to
come
will
be
better
for
us
all,”
Baphomet
noted
in
a
message
posted
on
the
BreachForums
Telegram
channel.
The
shutdown
is
suspected
to
have
been
prompted
by
suspicions
that
law
enforcement
may
have
obtained
access
to
the
site’s
configurations,
source
code,
and
information
about
the
forum’s
users.
The
development
follows
the
arrest
of
its
administrator
Conor
Brian
Fitzpatrick
(aka “pompompurin”),
who
has
been
charged
with
a
single
count
of
conspiracy
to
commit
access
device
fraud.
Over
the
past
few
months,
BreachForums
filled
the
void
left
by
RaidForums
last
year,
becoming
a
lucrative
destination
to
purchase
and
sell
stolen
databases
from
various
companies
and
organizations.
But
with
the
shuttering
of
BreachForums,
the
move
could
spur
cybercriminals
to
migrate
to
underground
forums
to
peddle
their
warez.
The
development
also
comes
as
Telegram
continues
to
be
a
hub
for
cybercrime
activities,
facilitating
the
sale
of
malware,
personal
and
corporate
data
dumps,
and
other
illicit
goods
such
as
counterfeits
and
drugs.
“Threat
actors
will
likely
continue
to
have
an
appetite
for
breached
databases,
and
it
remains
to
be
seen
if
this
can
be
through
an
alternative
venue,
or
requires
a
new
forum
entirely,”
cybersecurity
firm
Flashpoint
said.
