BreachForums, a hacking crime forum on the Dark Web, faced a data breach of its own on Jan. 9. A website associated with the ShinyHunters extortion group uploaded a database containing records of individuals connected to the forum, with metadata belonging to approximately 324,000 individuals. 

Resecurity assessed the database and confirmed its authenticity, publishing a report on the exposed data. 

An individual referring to themselves as “James” published the database along with a 23-part manifesto, in which they claimed to have “been called the most brilliant hacker” of their generation. In this manifesto, James aired grievances with specific individuals, revealing usernames, emails, registration dates, and IP addresses connected to them. 

“Following the publication of this data, undoubtedly many threat actors will face difficulties in hiding their identities and an increased risk of getting arrested,” states Resecurity’s report.