[BreachExchange] Data Breach Site WeLeakInfo Suspended as Feds Swoop

[Destry Winant]

https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/data-breach-site-weleakinfo/

The FBI has joined forces with the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA)
and other law enforcers to suspend a popular website which sells
access to stolen data.

The WeLeakInfo[.]com domain was seized by the Feds after the District
Court for the District of Columbia issued a warrant, although its
administrators are still at large.

Although the site claimed to be focused on helping breached internet
users discover if their personal data had been compromised, by selling
access to billions of records it also provided a useful resource for
cyber-criminals looking to launch credential stuffing, phishing and
other attacks.

“The website had claimed to provide its users a search engine to
review and obtain the personal information illegally obtained in over
10,000 data breaches containing over 12 billion indexed records –
including, for example, names, email addresses, usernames, phone
numbers, and passwords for online accounts,” a statement from the
Department of Justice explained.

“The website sold subscriptions so that any user could access the
results of these data breaches, with subscriptions providing unlimited
searches and access during the subscription period (one day, one week,
one month, or three months).”

The way it operated stood in contrast to legitimate breach
notification site HaveIBeenPwned, which only lets users know if their
accounts have been compromised, rather than providing access to troves
of breached data.

Jake Moore, cybersecurity specialist at ESET, argued that hackers can
do a great deal of damage even just with limited sets of breached
emails and names.

“The big risk comes from brute force attacks, where criminals use
common password combinations against emails to try and break into
personal accounts,” he added.

“An incredibly large amount of people still use predictable or simple
passwords. Many people's passwords are also readily available on the
dark web, so it quickly and simply becomes an exercise in joining the
dots for the cyber-criminals.”

The FBI is seeking any information on the owners and operators of WeLeakInfo.