Back to Radar
GS

GSM Hosting

High

The GSM Hosting breach in 2016 exposed 2.6M user records, including email addresses, IPs, usernames, and hashed passwords.

Records exposed
2,607,440 records
Breach date
Breach Aug 1, 2016
Last update
Updated Mar 27, 2024
Source

What data was exposed?

Fields reported as compromised in this breach record.

Email addressesIP addressesPasswordsUsernames

Why does this breach matter?

In-depth analysis of the breach and its implications.

The GSM Hosting data breach occurred in August 2016, targeting the vBulletin forum associated with the GSM Hosting service. A dataset containing information related to 2.6 million user accounts was compromised and subsequently made available for sale online. Exposed data included email addresses, IP addresses, usernames, and salted MD5 password hashes. This breach underscores the importance of securing online forums and user data.

Impact Analysis

Understanding the scope and consequences of this breach.

User Impact
Potential exposure of personal login information, posing risks of account compromise.
Business Impact
Reputation damage, user data exposure, and potential legal scrutiny.
Affected Sectors
  • Online forums
Geographic Impact
  • Global, userbase of GSM Hosting

What You Should Do

Recommended actions to take in response to this breach.

If You Were Affected

  • •Change passwords on affected accounts immediately.
  • •Monitor email accounts for suspicious activities.
  • •Enable two-factor authentication where possible.

Preventive Measures

  • •Use strong and unique passwords for online accounts.
  • •Regularly update software to prevent vulnerabilities.
  • •Adopt additional security mechanisms such as HTTPS and advanced hashing methods.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this breach and what it means for you.

Email addresses, IP addresses, usernames, and salted MD5 password hashes were leaked.