Daily Threat Intel Digest - 2026-01-11

🔴 Critical Threats & Active Exploitation

[NEW] 17.5 Million Instagram Accounts Exposed in Data Leak Personal information for 17.5 million Instagram users is being actively sold on dark web forums following a major data breach. The exposed dataset, advertised by a threat actor known as “Solonik,” contains full names, usernames, verified email addresses, phone numbers, and location data, providing attackers with everything needed for targeted phishing and social engineering campaigns. The data was allegedly harvested in late 2024 via an “API leak” that bypassed platform security controls. Active exploitation has already begun, with a surge in unsolicited password reset notifications reported by users, putting targets at heightened risk of account takeover and SIM swapping attacks [Cyberpress; GBHackers].

[NEW] BreachForums Database Leaked, Exposing 324,000 Cybercriminals In a case of poetic justice, the user database for the notorious BreachForums hacking forum has been leaked online, exposing the operational security of its own members. The leaked data contains 324,000 user records, including display names, registration dates, and for over 70,000 members, their public IP addresses. This information is a windfall for law enforcement and security researchers, posing a direct threat to the threat actors who relied on the forum’s perceived anonymity. The forum’s administrator, “N/A,” acknowledged the breach, explaining that a MyBB user table from August 2025 was temporarily exposed in an unsecured folder during a site restoration and was downloaded once BleepingComputer.

[NEW] Spain Arrests 34 Members of Black Axe Cybercrime Syndicate Spanish authorities have dealt a significant blow to a major international cybercrime network, arresting 34 individuals with alleged ties to the Black Axe syndicate. The operation, which included seizures of €66,400 in cash and €119,350 in frozen assets, targeted a criminal ring specializing in Business Email Compromise (BEC) and man-in-the-middle attacks to divert corporate payments. The network is attributed with causing over $6 million in damages over the past 15 years. This takedown disrupts a key European node of Black Axe, a dangerous global syndicate with tens of thousands of members involved in fraud, human trafficking, and other illicit activities BleepingComputer.