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, health plan and employer information.
Per the DOJ, West was the leader of a hacking group known as “CyberN[——]”, referring to a racist slur, which frequented “a particular internet forum.” While the DOJ did not name the forum, the complaint includes details that reference BreachForums, which was previously shut down by a coalition of international law enforcement agencies in 2023 and 2024.
The DOJ press release said West was arrested in France earlier in February and is now facing extradition to the United States.
According to the complaint against West, the CyberN[——] group included four other individuals whom U.S. authorities have not named.
Those four individuals appear to have been arrested in France earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said in a statement that French police arrested four people suspected of running BreachForums, and of being part of a collective called “ShinyHunters.”
“This week’s arrests targeted the individuals suspected of being the site’s main administrators, and raised hopes of its permanent closure,” said Beccuau, according to a translation of the press release.
The prosecutor also confirmed West, only named in the statement as IntelBroker, had been arrested in France in February, which aligns with what U.S. authorities announced on Thursday.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the French prosecutor’s office referred TechCrunch to its published statement.
In response to a question about the four unnamed co-conspirators, U.S. Justice Department spokesperson Nicholas Biase said he couldn’t comment on “uncharged individuals,” and declined to clarify in a follow-up email.
BreachForums was one of the most well-known hacking forums on the internet, where cybercriminals sold hacking tools, as well as advertised, sold, and traded data stolen from companies, such as 23andMe, and many others.
In 2023, U.S. federal authorities seized and shut down BreachForums, three months after arresting its administrator, Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, also known as “Pompompurin.” The site then re-launched, but it was seized and shut down again in 2024.
West is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, accessing a protected computer to obtain information, and wire fraud.
