KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has joined a global law enforcement sweep that dismantled the LeakBase cybercrime forum, a marketplace for stolen data with more than 142,000 members.
The coordinated operation on March 3 involved agencies from 14 countries and was facilitated by Europol at its headquarters in The Hague. Arrests, house searches and “knock and talk” interventions were carried out across multiple jurisdictions.
“The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), along with the law enforcement authorities from 14 countries, successfully carried out coordinated enforcement actions targeting individuals linked to the cybercrime data-leak forum known as LeakBase,” MACC said in a statement today.
As part of the operation, MACC’s Special Operations Division executed a search warrant at a web hosting company in Kuala Lumpur. Cyber forensic examinations confirmed that LeakBase was operating through servers hosted at the facility, leading to the seizure of digital evidence and the shutdown of the forum’s domain.
The LeakBase forum, active since 2021, served as an online marketplace for stolen data used in cybercrime. Investigations revealed that the platform contained large volumes of compromised account credentials, including email and password combinations, which were frequently used for account takeovers, fraud and other illicit online activities.
The forum had more than 142,000 registered members and over 215,000 messages, with archives of hacked databases from numerous high profile breaches.
MACC said its involvement reflects Malaysia’s commitment to international cooperation in tackling cybercrime and cross border misuse of data. The Commission added it will continue working with global enforcement partners to safeguard digital ecosystems and uphold the integrity of financial and information systems.
