Focus on the BIG picture.
Sunday, Aug 23, 2026

0:00
0:00

Prominent Hacker Forum RaidForums Suffers Substantial Data Breach

A vast data leak has impacted nearly half a million users of the infamous hacker forum, RaidForums, leading to the exposure of their personal information, as confirmed by tech blog BleepingComputer.

A structured query language (SQL) database, containing registration data for 478,870 members of RaidForums from 2015 to 2020, was released on a newer hacking platform, Exposed. The leaked information includes details such as usernames, emails, registration dates, and hashed passwords. The individual responsible for posting the data, an administrator of Exposed known as 'Impotent,' released this information on Monday.

While speaking with BleepingComputer, Impotent mentioned that specific user data was intentionally excluded from the database to "cause no drama," ensuring that 99% of the original content remained. The Exposed admin claimed exclusive knowledge of the data's source but declined to share further information. Additionally, he clarified that the database was not initially intended for public release, but he decided to leak it nonetheless. Several members of Exposed have reportedly vouched for the authenticity of this data.

RaidForums, seized by law enforcement in 2022, was a notorious hub for hackers, fraudsters, and various online criminals. It served as a marketplace for trading hacked or stolen data. Users would frequently leak un-purchased data on RaidForums to enhance their reputations.

Impotent’s pseudonym is considered a nod to RaidForums' former administrator, Omnipotent. Identified as Diogo Santos Coelho, a 21-year-old Portuguese national, Omnipotent was arrested in January 2022 during Operation TOURNIQUET, a multinational law enforcement initiative.

At the time of Coelho’s arrest, RaidForums boasted over 500,000 active users and was implicated in the trade of hundreds of databases of stolen data, representing more than 10 billion unique identity records, as stated by the US Department of Justice.

Despite numerous security red flags raised by its members, RaidForums remained operational for three months following Coelho’s arrest, until its eventual takedown in April 2022. Amid Russia’s military operations in Ukraine, RaidForums announced the banning of any members linked to Russia.

In a recent development, the Dutch National Police contacted thousands of former RaidForums members to notify them of surveillance and to encourage the deletion of any stolen or traded data they possessed. This outreach was facilitated by the analysis of a RaidForums database similar to the one leaked on Exposed, which allegedly contained the IP addresses associated with user registration and login.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
The rise and fall of Hui Ka Yan, China’s richest man
Britain's Public-Service Productivity Remains Below 2019 as £80 Billion Output Gap Fuels WFH Debate
Mandelson Epstein Case in Jeopardy as U.S. Files Stay Out of Reach
Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million After High Court Defeat
White House Defends Legislative Agenda and Foreign Policy During Daily Briefing
US Employment Growth Remains Resilient Across Manufacturing and Technology
US FAA Establishes Temporary Restricted Airspace Over Washington Region
House Oversight Committee Opens Broad Investigation Into Federal Contracting
ICE Expands Workplace Enforcement Operations Across Major US Cities
US Energy Department Awards Millions in Grants for Critical Mineral Projects
White House Advances Critical Supply Chain Partnerships With Major Corporate Executives
Senate Judiciary Committee Schedules Hearings on Federal Electronic Surveillance Powers
Justice Department Expands Internal Reviews of Politically Sensitive Federal Prosecutions
EPA Finalizes Rollback of Federal Tailpipe Emissions Targets
Trump Administration Expands Workplace Audits and Deportation Operations After Temporary Status Suspensions
FBI Strengthens Election Security Coordination Ahead of November Midterms
Congress Remains Deadlocked Over Short-Term Funding Ahead of Budget Deadline
US Fuel Prices Rise Above Four Dollars in Several States Amid Supply Constraints
Federal Reserve Signals Patience on Rate Cuts Amid Persistent Inflation
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll Expected to Leave Amid Reported Tensions With Defense Chief
Trump Says Iran Is Not Ready for an Acceptable Deal With Washington
Meta Faces Landmark California Trial Over Addictive Design and Children’s Privacy
US Public Debt Surpasses Forty Trillion Dollars
TikTok and ByteDance Agree to Four Hundred Million Dollar Settlement Over Children’s Privacy
Trump Says Political Operation Has Eight Hundred Fifty Million Dollars for Midterm Campaigns
US Supreme Court Allows White House Ballroom Construction to Continue During Legal Challenge
US-Canada Trade Talks Collapse Ahead of Midnight Deadline for Fifty Percent Tariffs
US Prepares for Trump Address to United Nations General Assembly
House Oversight Committee Investigates Federal Contracting and Procurement Practices
FCC Proposes New Transparency Rules for AI Content Moderation
Department of Labor Reports Continued Employment Growth in Technology and Manufacturing
Ohio Data Center Backlash Raises Republican Concerns Over Senate Election Prospects
White House Seeks Private-Sector Partnerships to Strengthen Critical Mineral Supply Chains
US Energy Department Funds Domestic Critical Mineral Extraction and Processing
Senate Confirms New FDA Commissioner Amid Debate Over Regulatory Oversight
Human Rights Groups Challenge Trump Sanctions Against International Criminal Court
White House Defends Security Clearance Process for Senior Presidential Aide
ICE Expands Workplace Enforcement Operations Across Major US Cities
US Deportation Flights Begin After Suspension of Selected Temporary Protected Status
Senate Judiciary Committee Schedules Hearings on FBI Surveillance Powers
FBI Strengthens Election Security Coordination Ahead of November Midterms
US Expands Justice Department Reviews of Politically Sensitive Prosecutions
US and Canada Discuss Continental Security and Trade in Washington
Pentagon Reverses Course on Aircraft Carrier Launch Systems Following Trump Directives
Pentagon Plans Indo-Pacific Naval Realignment Amid Regional Maritime Tensions
US Reviews New Tariffs on Advanced Semiconductor Imports
CBO Projects Larger US Deficits Under Proposed Extensions of Major Tax Cuts
EPA Finalizes Rollback of Clean-Energy Vehicle Mandates
Trump Administration Advances Third Republican Budget Reconciliation Package With Border Funding
Congress Faces Funding Dispute Ahead of October 1 Government Shutdown Deadline
×