This major cybercrime forum might have just exposed all its users

Cybercrime forums thrive on the illusion of anonymity. That illusion shattered when Leak Zone, a leaking and cracking forum, inadvertently exposed its own users. The unprotected database revealed 2 thousand times more than expected by leaking user IPs, timestamps, and location data.

This breach is not only ironic but also a sharp reminder that 2 thousand digital missteps can lead to serious exposure.

In communities built on secrecy, a single misconfiguration can topple trust. By reading on, you’ll know how and why a forum designed for anonymity ended up exposing over 2 thousand user identities to the open web.

What Was Leak Zone?

Leak Zone is an underground forum, active since around 2020, where users share stolen databases, cracked software, hacked accounts, and illegal services. The forum offers marketplace tools, search capabilities, and guidance for illicit trades.

It had over 109,000 members, many active daily. While predecessors like Raid Forums were shut down, Leak Zone persisted until users were betrayed by the site’s own unsecured backend.

How Was the Leak Discovered?

UpGuard researchers stumbled upon an open Elasticsearch database on July 18, 2025. No authentication was required to access it.

The researchers registered on Leak Zone themselves and instantly saw their IP and timestamp appear in the exposed log a clear verification. The database ran in real time, capturing login events through June 25, 2025.

Who Was Affected by the Leak?

The leak exposed login data for most users. With 22 million records and around 109,000 members, many users logged in multiple times.

Among the records, about 5% involved traffic from account resale site Account Bot. User trust shattered many relied on anonymity tools like VPNs or proxies, yet flags in the data revealed levels of exposure.

Why Did the Exposure Happen?

Leak Zone failed to secure its Elasticsearch database. The absence of passwords, firewalls, or encryption made sensitive information publicly accessible.

This kind of human or operational error is common and remains a top cause of data leaks, even among professionals. Misunderstanding cloud security’s shared responsibility model often leads to such oversights.

What Are the Risks to Users?

Leaked IPs can be traced back to real-world identities if matched with other data. Users who skip anonymity measures face high arrest risk. Law enforcement and rival cybercriminals might exploit these logs. The breach illustrates how anonymity is fragile; one misstep can unravel a user’s cover.

What Lessons Does Leak Zone Offer?

• Forums must protect their backend systems.
• Users should assume no platform is truly anonymous.
• Misconfiguration is a persistent threat.
• Zero-trust and access controls are not optional, even for illegal platforms.

FAQ: What Happened at Leak Zone?

Q1: What happened to Leak Zone?
Leak Zone’s Elasticsearch database was left exposed without any password or access control. Researchers found over 22 million login records, each with users’ IP addresses and timestamps.

Q2: Who discovered the exposure and when?
Cybersecurity firm Up Guard discovered the unsecured database on July 18, 2025.

Q3: How many users were affected?
Leak Zone claimed to have about 109,000 registered users. With over 22 million records, some users had multiple logins exposed.

Q4: What kind of data was exposed?
Exposed data included user IP addresses, login timestamps, geo-location, ISP metadata, and flags showing whether users logged in via proxy or VPN.

Q5: Why did this exposure happen?
It likely happened due to misconfiguration or human error. The database had no protection, no encryption, and no firewall.

Q6: Is Leak Zone still operational?
The database is now offline. The forum remains online, but researchers can’t confirm if administrators know about the breach or have notified users.

Table: Leak Zone Exposure Overview