Hacking Forums

Knowledge Base

Hacking Forums

Dark web forums are very similar to their clear web counterparts in almost every way, except for the content they discuss. Indeed, some began life on the clear web before migrating to the dark web to evade surveillance or censorship. Forums cover the breadth of criminal activity but these examples show there is a particularly thriving community of cybercriminals sharing information, tutorials, access, and exploits.

Hacking Forums

BreachForums

BreachForums is the successor to RaidForums, a site that was seized in operation “TOURNIQUET”. Like its predecessor, BreachForums specializes in trading leaked databases and other cybercrime.

Active since March 2022

Dark web and clear web

Predominantly in English

Cracked

Cracked is a clear web hacking forum that takes its name from the act of “cracking”, slang for breaking into accounts or software.

Active since April 2018

Clear web

Predominantly in English

Dread

Dread is a dark web forum that was born out of Reddit’s clampdown on discussions around dark web markets. It is popular among dark web netizens involved in the market scene or interested in cybercrime.

Active since February 2018

Dark web

Predominantly in English

Exploit

Exploit is an extremely long-running Russian cybercrime forum. Exploit and other Russian forums tend to view themselves as more professional than other dark web communities.

Active since February 2005

Dark web and clear web

Predominantly in Russian

LeakBase

LeakBase is a relative newcomer that gained popularity during the period of BreachForum disruption as an alternative source of hacked or leaked databases.

Active since June 2021

Clear web

Predominantly in English

OnniForums

OnniForums was launched in early 2023 and claims to already have 10,000 members. The forum caught the criminal underground's attention when its admin dkkota leaked the user database of BreachForums. Nowadays, the forum is aimed at database leakers, malware developers, and drug users.

Active since February 2023

Dark web

Predominantly in English

RAMP

The RAMP cybercrime forum is also considered “friendly” to Exploit and XSS, with one key differentiating factor: the forum widely accepts discussions about ransomware. As a result, it is common to see threat actors launching new Ransomware-as-a-Service ventures and attempting to recruit affiliates here.

Active since July 2021

Dark web

Predominantly in Russian

RuTor

RuTor has been a prominent forum in the Russian dark web scene since 2015, with threads that span multiple pages - and years - on topics ranging from drugs, fraud, computer programming and current affairs.

Active since October 2014

Dark web and clear web

Predominantly in Russian

XSS

Originally known as DaMaGeLaB, XSS is one of the longest-running dark web forums. Its new name is a reference to the well known cross-site scripting web app vulnerability.

Active since November 2004

Dark web and clear web

Predominantly in Russian