Panda SecurityYes, records belonging to approximately 200 million Pornhub premium users have been stolen by hackers. Even though authorities revealed the cyber incident earlier this month, the data breach occurred a few weeks ago.
Hackers from an organization called ‘ShinyHunters‘ have 94GB of stolen data and are threatening to release it if crypto ransom demands are not met. The stolen information consists of email addresses, locations, search and watched video history. The hackers shared a sample of the stolen data with journalists at Bleeping Computer and Reuters, who verified its authenticity. The investigation is ongoing.
Key takeaways
- Hackers have breached the records of 200 million Pornhub users and now control them.
- Stolen information includes emails, watch history, and other very sensitive bits of information.
- Pornhub claims the stolen records are not a result of a direct Pornhub breach
- There is an active ongoing extortion threat with hackers threatening to make the information public.
What can hackers do with the stolen information?
Apart from using emails to approach victims with fraudulent emails, the bad actors can also cherry-pick some of them and use their search/watch history for blackmail. While hackers often steal email addresses, they could also use search and watch history from a website with pornographic content against individuals who might feel uncomfortable if others see their private information.
Pornhub confirmed in a statement that such attacks are possible. And users must be vigilant for suspicious emails from bad actors.
Was it a breach of Pornhub Premium’s systems?
Pornhub denies that hackers have hacked Pornhub Premium’s systems. In a statement issued after the incident was first reported, the video-sharing website hinted that the blame lies with a third-party service provider. And assured its users that the breach did not include other sensitive information, such as passwords, login credentials, government IDs, or banking information. However, the third-party data analytics provider denied the accusations. Pornhub continues to work on learning more about the nature and scope of the cybercrime.
Why is the breach a big deal?
Pornhub is one of the most visited websites in the world. It often ranks in the top 10 and rarely gets out of the top 25 worldwide. The website has billions of monthly visitors. And serves a segment of society usually shrouded in taboos, and hackers might try to exploit it. The breach is also a reminder of the risks posed by stolen digital information, which Big Tech often fails to secure adequately.
Is Pornhub accessible in all of the USA?
No, it is not. Pornhub is currently inaccessible in 23 US states due to age-verification issues, with consumers from restricted states often finding a workaround by using VPN solutions. Even if Pornhub implements an age verification in those states and opens up access that is compliant with government requests, people likely will continue using a VPN to access the content. This would not come as a surprise, as even non-privacy people would likely show some hesitation when requested to hand over government ID information to a pornography company.
It is unclear who is to blame for the hack on Pornhub users. But it is undoubtedly clear that the records of those watching adult entertainment videos are in the hands of criminals. These criminals are actively trying to capitalize on the stolen data.
Antivirus software can be exceptionally helpful in protecting you and your loved ones. It actively flags fraudulent emails and provides privacy tools that help privacy-oriented people.
