Duolingo Data Breach: What & How It Happened?
Twingate Team
•
Jun 28, 2024
On January 16th, Duolingo, a well-known language-learning platform, experienced a security incident. This involved unauthorized access to user data, which was later made available on an online forum. Following the incident, Duolingo took steps to enhance its security measures.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach impacted data related to approximately 2.7 million individuals.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, usernames, names, phone numbers (if provided by the user), information about social networks, and other generic info such as language studies, experience, progress, and achievements.
How was Duolingo hacked?
The Duolingo data breach occurred due to unauthorized scraping of user data, affecting around 2.7 million users. Hackers exploited the exposed application programming interface (API) by submitting a username or email to gather public profile details. The exact methods and tools used by the hackers remain unclear, as no malware was mentioned in relation to the breach.
Duolingo's solution
In response to the hacking incident, Duolingo took several measures to secure its platform and prevent future incidents. This included enhancing security protocols, investigating the breach to understand how the data was accessed, and implementing strategies to mitigate such vulnerabilities. Duolingo also aimed to communicate with its users about the breach and the measures taken to safeguard their data.
How do I know if I was affected?
Duolingo reached out to affected users to inform them about the breach. If you're a Duolingo user and haven't received a notification, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check your credentials.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached platform. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity. If you notice anything unusual, report it to the platform immediately.
For more specific help and instructions related to Duolingo's data breach, please contact Duolingo's Help Center directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Duolingo data breach, check out the following news articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
Duolingo Data Breach: What & How It Happened?
Twingate Team
•
Jun 28, 2024
On January 16th, Duolingo, a well-known language-learning platform, experienced a security incident. This involved unauthorized access to user data, which was later made available on an online forum. Following the incident, Duolingo took steps to enhance its security measures.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach impacted data related to approximately 2.7 million individuals.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, usernames, names, phone numbers (if provided by the user), information about social networks, and other generic info such as language studies, experience, progress, and achievements.
How was Duolingo hacked?
The Duolingo data breach occurred due to unauthorized scraping of user data, affecting around 2.7 million users. Hackers exploited the exposed application programming interface (API) by submitting a username or email to gather public profile details. The exact methods and tools used by the hackers remain unclear, as no malware was mentioned in relation to the breach.
Duolingo's solution
In response to the hacking incident, Duolingo took several measures to secure its platform and prevent future incidents. This included enhancing security protocols, investigating the breach to understand how the data was accessed, and implementing strategies to mitigate such vulnerabilities. Duolingo also aimed to communicate with its users about the breach and the measures taken to safeguard their data.
How do I know if I was affected?
Duolingo reached out to affected users to inform them about the breach. If you're a Duolingo user and haven't received a notification, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check your credentials.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached platform. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity. If you notice anything unusual, report it to the platform immediately.
For more specific help and instructions related to Duolingo's data breach, please contact Duolingo's Help Center directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Duolingo data breach, check out the following news articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
Duolingo Data Breach: What & How It Happened?
Twingate Team
•
Jun 28, 2024
On January 16th, Duolingo, a well-known language-learning platform, experienced a security incident. This involved unauthorized access to user data, which was later made available on an online forum. Following the incident, Duolingo took steps to enhance its security measures.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach impacted data related to approximately 2.7 million individuals.
What data was leaked?
The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, usernames, names, phone numbers (if provided by the user), information about social networks, and other generic info such as language studies, experience, progress, and achievements.
How was Duolingo hacked?
The Duolingo data breach occurred due to unauthorized scraping of user data, affecting around 2.7 million users. Hackers exploited the exposed application programming interface (API) by submitting a username or email to gather public profile details. The exact methods and tools used by the hackers remain unclear, as no malware was mentioned in relation to the breach.
Duolingo's solution
In response to the hacking incident, Duolingo took several measures to secure its platform and prevent future incidents. This included enhancing security protocols, investigating the breach to understand how the data was accessed, and implementing strategies to mitigate such vulnerabilities. Duolingo also aimed to communicate with its users about the breach and the measures taken to safeguard their data.
How do I know if I was affected?
Duolingo reached out to affected users to inform them about the breach. If you're a Duolingo user and haven't received a notification, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check your credentials.
What should affected users do?
In general, affected users should:
Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached platform. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.
Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.
Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity. If you notice anything unusual, report it to the platform immediately.
For more specific help and instructions related to Duolingo's data breach, please contact Duolingo's Help Center directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
If you want to find more information on the Duolingo data breach, check out the following news articles:
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