US, French authorities confirm arrest of BreachForums hackers


U.S. and French authorities have confirmed the arrests of five hackers accused of being behind several major hacks and being part of a notorious cybercrime forum.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of British national Kai West, 25, accusing him of being “a serial hacker” known as IntelBroker. U.S. authorities allege West is behind “a years-long hacking scheme,” which caused more than $25 million in damages by targeting more than 40 victims, including a telecoms company, a municipal healthcare provider, and an internet service provider. In the case of the healthcare provider, the DOJ alleges West tried to sell sensitive patient’s personal information, including names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, genders, and health plan and employer information.

Read more…
Source: TechCrunch News


Sign up for our Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox.


Related:

  • Australia mandates age verification on major platforms, threatens $50M fines

    July 20, 2025

    Australia is implementing comprehensive internet age verification and ID check requirements as part of a major overhaul of online safety regulation. By December 27, 2025, major platforms including Google and Microsoft must implement age verification checks on their search engines for all logged-in Australian users, facing potential fines of up to AU $50 million per breach ...

  • Global operation targets NoName057(16) pro-Russian cybercrime network

    July 16, 2025

    Between 14 and 17 July, a joint international operation, known as Eastwood and coordinated by Europol and Eurojust, targeted the cybercrime network NoName057(16). Law enforcement and judicial authorities from Czechia, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States took simultaneous actions against offenders and infrastructure belonging to the pro-Russian ...

  • ‘Pig butchering’ scams have stolen billions from people around the world.

    July 14, 2025

    At the beginning of 2025, panic about fraud and human trafficking erupted on Chinese social media. It started when a Chinese actor called Wang Xing was tricked into travelling to Thailand for an audition, where he was abducted by criminals and taken to a scam centre in Myanmar. Wang was reported missing and, within three days, ...

  • Pro basketball player and 4 youths arrested in connection to ransomware crimes

    July 10, 2025

    Authorities in Europe have detained five people, including a former Russian professional basketball player, in connection with crime syndicates responsible for ransomware attacks. Until recently, one of the suspects, Daniil Kasatkin, played for MBA Moscow, a basketball team that’s part of the VTB United League, which includes teams from Russia and other Eastern European countries. Kasatkin ...

  • UK: Arrests made after M&S, Co-op and Harrods cyber attacks

    July 10, 2025

    Four people, including three teenagers and a 20-year-old woman, have been arrested in connection with a wave of cyber attacks that crippled M&S, the Co-op and Harrods. The group allegedly unleashed ransomware that stole millions of customer records, shut down online orders and left supermarket shelves bare. The arrests included a 17-year-old British man from the ...

  • U.S. Justice Department Announces Arrest of Prolific Chinese State-Sponsored Contract Hacker

    July 8, 2025

    China’s Ministry of State Security Directed the Theft of COVID-19 Research and the Exploitation of Microsoft Exchange Server Vulnerabilities, Known Publicly as the Indiscriminate ‘HAFNIUM’ Intrusion Campaign The Justice Department announced today that Xu Zewei (徐泽伟), 33, of the People’s Republic of China was arrested on July 3 in Italy at the request of the ...