BreachForums Gets Rebooted as “BreachStars” New Admins, Old Warnings

BreachForums Reborn as BreachStars

The infamous BreachForums hacker marketplace has been relaunched under a new name: BreachStars. The site’s new administrators, claiming more experience than their predecessors, say they’ve rebuilt the platform “from the ground up.”

Shutting down BreachForums multiple times hasn’t deterred forum operators. BreachStars requires all former members to re-register, nullifying prior ranks unless users provide screenshot proof an attempt by management to prevent identity abuse and over-the-top trust

Promises vs. Historical Instability

The new admins distinguish themselves from past iterations by vowing not to repeat prior mistakes. They say they’ve reviewed court records and forum takedown reports to avoid being seized or disrupted again.

Still, the forum is early-stage and promises features such as escrow systems, reputation modules, private messaging, and both clearnet and hidden service versions.

As of writing, BreachStars claims to host 2,189 users, 1,245 posts, 317 leaked databases, and 232 “leaks” as part of its initial content portfolio

Why Reboot Another Forum? The Cycle of Underground Markets

BreachForums’ repeated closures demonstrate the resilience of underground cybercriminal platforms. After the 2025 shutdown, clones and forums tried to fill the void but many failed to stick.

Past admins such as ShinyHunters and IntelBroker  who had managed BreachForums’ previous incarnations  now appear in the new forum’s announcements.

Despite skepticism from threat actors and intelligence firms, some analysts believe breach-forums 1st (or its hidden service counterpart) may represent a legitimate revival, backed by infrastructure insiders.

However, efforts to register new accounts have encountered MyBB SQL errors, hinting that backend systems are still under development.

Legal Risks & Warnings from the Underground

Rebooting a notorious marketplace comes with built-in hazards. Law enforcement has long targeted forums like these. The original BreachForums founder, Conor Brian Fitzpatrick (pompompurin), was arrested in 2023 and later resentenced in 2025.

In April 2025, ShinyHunters posted a PGP-signed message claiming the previous domain had been compromised via a MyBB zero-day exploit and that government agencies had tried to access the database. They warned users to avoid clones.

Still, launching a new forum under surveillance and with ambitious features may invite renewed law enforcement scrutiny.

What Defenders and Researchers Should Watch

• Infrastructure changes: Who controls domain registration, server hosting, certificate issuance

• Escrow and payment systems: Could lead to tracking or money flow analysis

• User registration rules: Requiring screenshots to recover past rank may promote phishing or account spoofing

• Forum leaks and DB dumps: Any early leaks may expose users and signal internal sabotage

• Connections to prior admins: If ShinyHunters, IntelBroker, or other known names are involved, that may attract deeper threats

BreachStars tries to reboot the BreachForums legacy with fresh promises and a stricter operational model. Yet, history warns that underground marketplaces seldom outgrow their vulnerabilities. As it grows, BreachStars will either prove itself resilient or collapse under the weight of surveillance, internal missteps, and external pressure.

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