Global operation takes down hackers’ leaked data market

The site, founded in 2015, offered special access and features for members willing to pay – including a 'God' membership that prosecutors say enabled nearly unlimited access. — Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash

WASHINGTON: Western law enforcement agencies have dismantled an online marketplace used to buy and sell hacked and stolen personal data belonging to millions of people, and have brought criminal charges against the platform's founder and chief administrator, officials announced Tuesday.

Authorities say the RaidForums website trafficked in hundreds of databases of sensitive data, including credit card and Social Security numbers and bank account information, that had been hacked or stolen from victims.