French Authorities Apprehend Four Individuals Linked to Notorious BreachForums

Four individuals in their twenties have been apprehended in France due to their alleged involvement with the notorious dark web forum, BreachForums.

On June 25, Laure Beccuau, a State Prosecutor, disclosed that the arrests took place on June 23, carried out by the Cybercrime Unit of the Paris Police Prefecture (Brigade de lutte contre la cybercriminalité, BL2C).

Reports from a local newspaper indicated that the suspects, known by their online pseudonyms ShinyHunters, Hollow, Noct, and Depressed, were captured in suburban areas of Paris, Normandy, and La Réunion, a French overseas territory.

Besides operating BreachForums, the suspects are believed to have executed highly complex cyber-attacks affecting numerous victims in France and internationally. Victims reportedly include Boulanger, a prominent electronics retailer, SFR, one of the major internet and mobile service providers in France, as well as France Travail, the government agency for job seeking, and the French Football Federation (FFF).

Beccuau stated, “The identification of the suspects was facilitated through police and judicial cooperation with our foreign partners, notably the United States.”

She expressed her gratitude to the FBI and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) for their high-quality collaboration and detailed information exchange, which demonstrated a strong level of mutual trust.

An investigating judge is currently examining the case to determine whether the suspects will face charges and proceed to trial.

BreachForums has been a significant English-language cybercrime marketplace active on the clear web since 2022. It faced judicial operations in the US during 2023 and 2024. The arrest of Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, also known as ‘Pompompurin,’ in March 2023, significantly impacted the forum, as he was believed to be the primary administrator. Although BreachForums temporarily ceased operations, it later reemerged under a new management team.

In February 2025, Kai West, a 25-year-old British national who went by the alias IntelBroker, was arrested in France on charges of acting as a temporary administrator of the forum while also conducting significant cyber-attacks. The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York later charged West with facilitating illegal online transactions as part of an organized group, resulting in estimated damages of $25 million, and he was placed in pre-trial detention.

In April 2025, rumors circulated that BreachForums had been dismantled following an alleged seizure of its infrastructure by the FBI, but the forum reappeared in early June with a new domain.

The future of BreachForums remains uncertain, as the recent arrests of its supposed administrators could either signify a definitive blow to the operation or just another minor setback in its ongoing saga.