Russian police in the Rostov region have arrested an individual believed to be the owner and administrator of **LeakBase**, a major online forum used by cybercriminals to buy and sell stolen data and hacking tools. According to a report from the Russian state-owned news agency **TASS**, **Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs** spokesperson Irina Volk announced the arrest, stating that the unnamed suspect is also accused of creating the LeakBase hacker platform. ### LeakBase's Rise and Fall LeakBase emerged in 2021 with support from the **ARES** threat group. It steadily grew its user base to over 142,000 members following the shutdown of the **Breached Forums** in March 2023. The forum offered free membership and served as a marketplace for stolen databases, data leaks, exploits, and other cybercrime services. It also hosted sections dedicated to programming, hacking tips, social engineering, cryptography, and operational security (opsec) guides. ### International Law Enforcement Action In March 2026, the FBI and law enforcement agencies across 14 countries dismantled the LeakBase cybercrime forum in an international joint operation coordinated by **Europol**, dubbed "Operation Leak." Investigators executed search warrants, conducted interviews, and made arrests in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The LeakBase website ( *leakbase[.]la* ) now displays a seizure notice stating: "This website has been seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as part of an international law enforcement operation." The notice also warns that the forum's database and its contents, including private messages and IP logs, will be used as evidence in future investigations.  Europol stated: "On 3 March, law enforcement authorities carried out coordinated enforcement actions across multiple jurisdictions, including arrests, house searches, and 'knock-and-talk' interventions. Around 100 enforcement actions were conducted worldwide, including measures against 37 of the most active users of the platforms." "On 4 March, authorities moved to the technical disruption phase, seizing the forum's domain and replacing it with a law enforcement splash page. The operation now enters a prevention phase aimed at deterring further criminal activity and raising awareness of the consequences of engaging in cybercrime." LeakBase's takedown follows similar operations against other major cybercrime marketplaces, including **RaidForums** in 2022 and BreachForums in 2023. <div> <a rel="noopener sponsored" href="https://hubs.li/Q043YRMg0"><img alt="tines" src="https://www.bleepstatic.com/c/p/red-report.jpg"></a> <div> <h2><a rel="noopener sponsored" href="https://hubs.li/Q043YRMg0">Red Report 2026: Why Ransomware Encryption Dropped 38%</a></h2> <p>Malware is getting smarter. The Red Report 2026 reveals how new threats use math to detect sandboxes and hide in plain sight.</p> <p>Download our analysis of 1.1 million malicious samples to uncover the top 10 techniques and see if your security stack is blinded.</p> </div> </div>