Pompompurin Unmasked: Infamous BreachForums Mastermind Arrested in New York

Mar 18, 2023Ravie LakshmananCyber Crime / Data Breach

U.S. law enforcement authorities have arrested a New York man in
connection with running the infamous BreachForums hacking
forum under the online alias “Pompompurin.”

The development, first reported by Bloomberg Law^[1], comes after News 12
Westchester, earlier this week, said that federal investigators
“spent hours inside and outside of a home in Peekskill.”

“At one point, investigators were seen removing several bags of
evidence from the house,” the New York-based local news service
added^[2].

According^[3]
to an affidavit^[4]
filed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the suspect
identified himself as Conor Brian Fitzpatrick and that he admitted
to being the owner of the BreachForums website.

“When I arrested the defendant on March 15, 2023, he stated to
me in substance and in part that: a) his name was Conor Brian
Fitzpatrick; b) he used the alias ‘pompompurin,’ and c) he was the
owner and administrator of ‘BreachForums,'” FBI Special Agent, John
Longmire, said.

Fitzpatrick has been charged with one count of conspiracy to
solicit individuals with the purpose of selling unauthorized access
devices.

The defendant was released a day later on a $300,000 bond signed
by his parents and is scheduled to appear before the District Court
for the Eastern District of Virginia on March 24, 2023.

Besides being barred from obtaining a passport or other
international travel document, Fitzpatrick has been restricted from
contacting his co-conspirators and using a narcotic drug or other
controlled substances unless prescribed by a licensed medical
practitioner.

BreachForums emerged last year three weeks after a coordinated
law enforcement operation seized control of RaidForums^[5]
in March 2022.

“In the threat actor’s welcoming thread, ‘pompompurin’ stated
that they had created BreachForums as an alternative to RaidForums
but that it was ‘not affiliated with RaidForums in any capacity,'”
cybersecurity firm Flashpoint said^[6]
at the time.

The forum has since attracted notoriety^[8]
for hosting stolen databases belonging to several companies, often
including sensitive personal information.

In the wake of Fitzpatrick’s arrest, another forum user named
Baphomet said they were taking ownership of the website, noting
that there is no evidence of “access or modifications to Breached
infra.”

“My only response to [law enforcement], or any media outlet is
that I have no concerns for myself at the moment,” Baphomet said in
the announcement. “OPSEC^[9]
has been my focus from day one, and thankfully I don’t think any
mountain lions will be attacking me in my little fishing boat.”

The development comes as the Cyber Police of Ukraine announced^[10] the arrest of a
25-year-old developer who created a remote access trojan that
infected over 10,000 computers under the guise of gaming apps.