A British man believed to be the notorious ‘IntelBroker’ hacker has been charged in the US following their arrest in France earlier this year.
Kai West, 25, also known as Kyle Northern, is accused of carrying out a years-long hacking scheme, conspiring with an online group to steal data from a telecommunications company, a municipal health care provider, an internet service provider, and more than 40 other victims.
The group offered the data - which included customer lists and company marketing information - for sale online for more than $2 million, and is believed to have caused more than $25 million in damage.
"The IntelBroker alias has caused millions in damages to victims around the world,” said US attorney Jay Clayton.
“This action reflects the FBI’s commitment to pursuing cyber criminals around the world. New Yorkers are all too often the victims of intentional cyber schemes and our office is committed to bringing these remote actors to justice.”
Between around 2023 and 2025, the FBI said West offered stolen data for sale more than 40 times and offered to distribute this data for free around 117 times.
On some occasions, stolen data was also offered in exchange for credits on the internet forum he and his co-conspirators used, according to the FBI.
In one case, West sold data from a telecommunications firm that he'd illegally accessed via a misconfigured server.
In another, he offered patient data from a municipal healthcare provider which included names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, genders, health plan information, employer information, and more.
An advisory from cybersecurity firm Kela earlier this year noted that IntelBroker “distinguishes himself in the cyber crime underworld by combining technical expertise with a strong emphasis on operational security”.
"His approach involves exploiting vulnerabilities as a primary attack vector, while simultaneously utilizing advanced anonymity tools to maintain operational secrecy, solidifying his reputation as a trusted figure within the community,” the company added.
IntelBroker sting the latest blow for cyber criminals
After first making an entrance on hacking forum BreachForums, IntelBroker worked as a ransomware operator, later taking over BreachForums. Over the years, he is believed to have breached organizations including HPE, Cisco, Nokia, Ford, AMD, Zscaler, and Europol.
"The arrest of the alleged British hacker known as IntelBroker and the recent takedown of BreachForums admins highlight a critical truth about cybersecurity: data theft is rarely a one-off event," Darren Guccione, CEO and co-founder of Keeper Security.
"The details of this story aptly demonstrate how once stolen, credentials and information can circulate, be aggregated and weaponized for months or even years in some cases."
"In this instance, the global criminal network’s sustained activity through dark web forums provides a pertinent example of how attackers rely on long-term access, collaboration and shared trust within illicit marketplaces.
West is charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusions, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and conspiracy to commit wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
He is also accused of accessing a protected computer to obtain information, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, and wire fraud, with a maximum sentence of 20 years.
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