Arrested hacker in handcuffs showing hacking forum operator charged with cybercrime

Hacking Forum “BreachForums” Alleged Owner Pompompurin Arrested and Charged With Cybercrime

Hacking forum “BreachForums” alleged owner was placed in custody and charged with cybercrime.

According to an affidavit signed by FBI Special Agent John Longmire, the suspect admitted his name was Connor Brian Fitzpatrick and the dark web data breach site BreachForums owner Pompompurin.

“When I arrested the defendant on March 15, 2023, he stated to me in substance and in part that: a) his name was Conor Brian Fitzpatrick; b) he used the alias ‘pompompurin,’ and c) he was the owner and administrator of ‘BreachForums,’ the data breach website referenced in the Complaint,” the special agent swore.

BreachForums is the successor of the hacking forum “RaidForums,” which was seized by the FBI in March 2022.

Hacking forum owner Pompompurin in custody facing cybercrime charges

On March 18, 2023, Bloomberg reported that federal agents spent the better part of Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at a Peekskill, New York, home collecting evidence, slapping the cuffs on the suspect by 4:30 pm.

The alleged cybercrime site owner was released on a $300,000 bond and will appear on March 24, 2023, before a judge at the District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia.

His release conditions included surrendering his travel documents and restricting his movement within the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the Eastern District of Virginia.

Additionally, the judge barred the New York man from contacting witnesses or alleged conspirators. Fitzpatrick is also prohibited from using narcotics unless prescribed by a licensed practitioner.

According to a criminal complaint against him, the cybercrime website owner faces one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud.

Track record of high profile cybercrimes

BreachForums was involved in the theft of thousands of databases containing personal information, such as names, phone numbers, and email addresses, with the stolen data sold on the hacking forum.

A threat actor tried to sell data on the hacking forum stolen from the recent DC Health Link data leak, which affected between 56,000 and 170,000 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and staff.

The hacking forum’s owner has reportedly carried out multiple data breaches. In November 2021, the cybercrime nemesis sent thousands of fake emails using FBI email addresses.

Similarly, he tricked a Robinhood employee into installing a remote access trojan which he used to steal customer information.

In November 2022, he also took responsibility for exploiting a Twitter API bug allowing him to access 5.4 million records of active profiles and 1.4 million suspended accounts. The stolen data was later auctioned on the hacking forum for $30,000.

Pompompurin’s arrest would not impact the BreachForums’ operations since they still had full access to the infrastructure, according to his successor Baphomet. The hacking forum’s new administrator also suggested that they could migrate the cybercrime site to different infrastructure.

However, the hacking forum became inaccessible, with Baphomet admitting that someone had gained access to Pompompurin’s computer and logged into the cybercrime site’s servers.

Nevertheless, Flashpoint’s cybersecurity researchers believe the hacking forum’s shutdown was a short-term victory, given the cybercrime community’s resilience.