Disqus
HighThe 2012 Disqus breach exposed over 17.5 million email addresses, usernames, and salted password hashes.
Exposed data classes
Fields reported as compromised in this breach record.
Detailed Analysis
In-depth analysis of the breach and its implications.
In July 2012, Disqus, a blog commenting service, experienced a security breach that was identified years later in October 2017. The breach compromised over 17.5 million records, exposing email addresses, usernames, and encrypted passwords (hashed using salted SHA1). Users logging in via social providers had only references to their accounts stored instead of additional credentials.
Impact Analysis
Understanding the scope and consequences of this breach.
- User Impact
- Users may experience an increased risk of targeted phishing attempts or account compromise if similar credentials are reused.
- Business Impact
- Disqus faced reputational harm and the challenge of implementing stronger security measures.
- Affected Sectors
- Online Service Providers
- Technology
- Geographic Impact
- Global
What You Should Do
Recommended actions to take in response to this breach.
If You Were Affected
- •Change your password for Disqus and other services where the same password was used.
- •Monitor accounts for suspicious activity.
- •Consider enabling multi-factor authentication on services where possible.
Preventive Measures
- •Use strong, unique passwords for every service.
- •Enable multi-factor authentication to enhance account security.
- •Stay vigilant for notifications of data breaches via awareness services like HaveIBeenPwned.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this breach and what it means for you.