In a massive, coordinated strike across 14 countries, international law enforcement has officially pulled the plug on LeakBase ($leakbase[.la]$ / $leakbase[.ws]$), a central hub of the cybercrime ecosystem. The multi-phase effort, codenamed "Operation LEAK," represents one of the most significant blows to the stolen data trade since the takedown of BreachForums.

The "Stealer Log" Supermarket

Since its emergence in June 2021, LeakBase established itself as the go-to marketplace for "stealer logs" archives of credentials harvested via infostealer malware like RedLine and Vidar.

  • Scale of the Beast: As of December 2025, the forum boasted over 142,000 registered members, 32,000 posts, and more than 215,000 private messages.
  • The Catalog: The seized database includes hundreds of millions of credential pairs, credit card numbers, and sensitive routing information stolen from corporations and individuals worldwide.
  • The "Russia" Rule: One notable feature highlighted by investigators was an internal rule strictly prohibiting the sale of Russian databases, a tactic often used by threat actors to avoid domestic scrutiny.

Anatomy of the Takedown (March 3–4)

The operation, coordinated from Europol’s Joint Command Post in The Hague, unfolded in three high-intensity phases:

  1. Phase 1 (The Strike): On March 3, 2026, authorities executed roughly 100 enforcement actions worldwide. This included arrests, house searches, and "knock-and-talk" interventions targeting 37 of the forum's most active "power users."
  2. Phase 2 (Technical Disruption): On March 4, the FBI and Malaysian authorities (MACC) seized the forum's domains and servers. Visitors are now greeted with a seizure banner warning that all private messages, IP logs, and transaction details are now in the hands of law enforcement.
  3. Phase 3 (Prevention): In a bold psychological move, investigators began contacting suspects directly through the very same encrypted channels they used for criminal activity, delivering the message: "No one is truly anonymous online."

Hacklido Technical Takeaway: The "Evidence Sprint"

The seizure is more than just a website shutdown; it is a data goldmine for forensic analysts.

  • Deanonymization: Law enforcement is currently cross-matching the seized LeakBase user database with ongoing investigations. If a threat actor used the same handle or IP on the forum as they did in a corporate breach, they are likely already being tracked.


Escrow Exposure: The forum’s internal credit-based economy and reputation logs are being used to map the financial flow of over $2.8 billion in estimated cybercrime proceeds.