US, France crack down on BreachForums with arrests, IntelBroker indictment

Operations of the notorious cybercrime marketplace BreachForums, which has been attempting a comeback since being compromised in April, have been further clamped down, with French law enforcement authorities disclosed by French daily newspaper Le Parisien to have apprehended the hacking forum's four alleged leaders this week, reports Cyber Daily.

Hackers "ShinyHunters", "Hollow", "Depressed", and "Noct" were accused by French authorities of being involved in attacks against various French organizations. ShinyHunters had previously been associated with intrusions against AT&T, Pizza Hut, and Ticketmaster. Meanwhile, the U.S. has indicted another BreachForums member, Kai West, also known as IntelBroker, who was arrested by French law enforcement in February. Multiple charges related to illicit cyber activity resulting in losses exceeding $25 million have been filed against West, who is set to be extradited to the U.S., where he could be imprisoned for up to 50 years. Such coordinated law enforcement efforts against cybercrime have been lauded by Sophos Field CISO Aaron Bugal. "While it seems like a never-ending cat and mouse game taking these sites out, cybercriminals are on notice that no site or activity will go without investigation, and it's merely a matter of time before law enforcement catches up with them," Bugal added.