British national Kai West, 25, known online as IntelBroker, was arrested in France in February 2025 and now faces extradition to the U.S. The unsealed indictment from the Southern District of New York accuses him of orchestrating a transnational cybercrime operation that inflicted over $25 million in damages from 2022 to 2025.
Under his alias IntelBroker—and sometimes ‘Kyle Northern’—West ran a cybercriminal operation on BreachForums, reportedly posting more than 158 threads offering stolen data from over 40 companies, including Cisco, Apple, Deloitte, Europol, and more. Many sales were priced in Monero or Bitcoin, with at least $2 million in proceeds.
West allegedly led a group called ‘The Boys’, comprising 32 members. Prior to shifting to data theft, he reportedly developed a destructive ransomware strain called Endurance, which functioned more like wiping malware. West even served briefly as the administrator of BreachForums from August 2024 to January 2025.
An undercover BTC purchase by FBI agents helped trace the digital footprint back to West—revealing matches between his forum activity and YouTube habits, even tying transactions to a bank account registered under his driver’s license. West now faces four charges—two carrying 20-year terms, two more up to 5 years—and the U.S. is coordinating with France and the U.K. to bring him to justice.
Security experts, including Sophos CTU, note IntelBroker’s victims spanned industries and borders—healthcare, telecoms, government agencies—underscoring how skilled actors exploit forum trust and anonymity. His arrest follows other high‑profile takedowns of groups like ShinyHunters and Scattered Spider, signaling growing international cooperation in cybercrime enforcement.
SOURCE: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/british-hacker-25-accused-of-25m-cybercrimes-in-the-us-f6l0chf93