20-year-old founder of 'major hacking forum' arrested

Conor Brian Fitzpatrick, 20, is in federal custody, accused of operating an online marketplace for cybercriminals.

According to the Department of Justice, Fitzpatrick is the founder of BreachForums, which authorities describe as one of the the "world's largest" hacker forums. 

Prosecutors say BreachForums, which has been taken offline, had 340,000 members as of last week. Authorities claim the forum was a marketplace for "cybercriminals to buy, sell, and trade hacked or stolen data and other contraband."

Items commonly sold on the platform were hacked bank account information, social security numbers and other types of personal information, the Justice Department said. 

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Prosecutors content that Fitzpatrick has million of victims — from U.S. citiziens to companies, organizations and government agencies. 

"Like its predecessor RaidForums, which we took down almost a year ago, BreachForums bridged the gap between hackers hawking pilfered data and buys eager to exploit it," said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. "All those operating in dark net markets should take note: Working with our law enforcement partners, we will take down illicit forums and bring administrators to justice in U.S. courtrooms.”

Fitzpatrick is charged with conspiracy to commit access device fraud. He faces up to five years in prison if he's convicted.

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