RaidForums was an English-language black hat hacking internet forum founded in 2015. The website facilitated the discussion of a variety of hacking topics and was a notable distributor of various data breaches, hacking tools, and pornography until its closure and seizure by law enforcement authorities in 2022.[1] The website was monetized via advertisements and through a tiered membership program where members with higher tiers would receive elevated access to the forum and its contents.[2][3]
 | |
 Domain seizure notice on raidforums.com | |
Type of site | Internet forum |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| Dissolved | April 12, 2022 |
| Successor(s) | BreachForums |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Founder(s) | Diogo Santos Coelho, also known by his screen name "Omnipotent" |
| URL | rf |
| Advertising | Yes |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Optional |
| Users | 530,000 at time of shutdown |
| Launched | 2015 |
| Current status | Seized by the United States FBI |
History
editRaidForums began in 2015 as a platform for Twitch raiders.[4]
Domain seizure
editThe domain and its contents were seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on April 12, 2022 after a month of downtime, in collaboration with the United States Secret Service, the United States Department of Justice, and a variety of other national and international law enforcement agencies.[1]
Administration
editThe website was allegedly founded by a 21-year old Portuguese national, Diogo Santos Coelho under the screen name "Omnipotent", who was arrested on January 31, 2022 in the United Kingdom.[5] His arrest occurred pending several years of investigation after several of his devices were searched under warrant at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in June 2018, suggesting he was the owner and primary administrator "Omnipotent". According to hackread.com, an administrator under screen name "Jaw" & "souls" announced the seizure officially on the forum's public Telegram channel, and redirected subscribers of the channel to RaidForums' backup domain rf.to,[2] which however went offline (and has remained offline for months) after this statement, only becoming reachable again after Diogo Santos Coelho's release on bail[6][7] in August 2022.
Impact
editAt the time of its closure in 2022, the forum had over 530,000 registered users and was one of the most prolific and easily accessible clearnet illicit hacking forums.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Krebs, Brian (April 12, 2022). "RaidForums Gets Raided, Alleged Admin Arrested". Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Hacking forum Raidforums.com allegedly seized by authorities". February 25, 2022. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ Lyngaas, Sean (April 12, 2022). "FBI and international partners seize control of popular hacking forum". CNN. Archived from the original on April 19, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
- ^ "What It's Like to Run a Hacking Forum: A Conversation With RaidForums Owner Omnipotent". The Record by Recorded Future. January 13, 2021. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
- ^ "United States of America v. Diogo Santos Coelho". justice.gov. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
- ^ "RaidForums admin "Omni" granted conditional bail while U.K. considers U.S. extradition request". October 21, 2022. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ^ "RaidForums". Internet Archive Wayback Machine. October 21, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
External links
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