What happened in the Verifications.io data breach?
Twingate Team
•
Mar 21, 2024
Verifications.io, an email verification service, suffered a massive data breach in early 2019. The breach was discovered when an extensive collection of personal data was found exposed online without any security measures in place. This incident highlighted significant concerns regarding the handling and security of personal data by data aggregation and verification services.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach exposed approximately 763 million records, affecting a vast number of individuals and businesses worldwide.
What type of data was leaked?
The exposed data included personal information such as dates of birth, email addresses, employers, genders, geographic locations, ip addresses, job titles, names, phone numbers, and physical addresses.
How was Verifications.io hacked?
The breach occurred through an unprotected MongoDB database that was left accessible without any authentication required, allowing anyone who found the database to access and download its contents.
Verifications.io’s response
In response to the breach, Verifications.io took the exposed database offline and began an investigation into how such a significant amount of data was left unprotected. The company also engaged with cybersecurity professionals to assess and enhance their security practices. However, detailed information about specific remedial actions taken to protect affected individuals was not widely disclosed.
How do I know if I was affected?
If you have used Verifications.io's services or suspect your email address could have been part of their verification lists, you might have been affected by this breach. Additionally, users can check platforms like HaveIBeenPwned to see if their data was involved in the breach.
What should affected users do?
If your data was exposed in the Verifications.io incident, you might want to take these steps:
Check Your Email: Use Have I Been Pwned to see if your email is part of the breach.
Monitor for Spam and Phishing: Be vigilant about unsolicited communications and potential phishing attempts using your leaked data.
Update Your Security Settings: Change passwords for email and other important accounts, especially if you use the same password across multiple sites.
Be Cautious with Personal Information: Limit the amount of personal information you share online to reduce the impact of potential future breaches.
For more detailed assistance or advice, individuals may need to consult with cybersecurity experts or resources dedicated to identity protection.
Where can I go to learn more?
For more information on the Verifications.io data breach, you can refer to the following articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
What happened in the Verifications.io data breach?
Twingate Team
•
Mar 21, 2024
Verifications.io, an email verification service, suffered a massive data breach in early 2019. The breach was discovered when an extensive collection of personal data was found exposed online without any security measures in place. This incident highlighted significant concerns regarding the handling and security of personal data by data aggregation and verification services.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach exposed approximately 763 million records, affecting a vast number of individuals and businesses worldwide.
What type of data was leaked?
The exposed data included personal information such as dates of birth, email addresses, employers, genders, geographic locations, ip addresses, job titles, names, phone numbers, and physical addresses.
How was Verifications.io hacked?
The breach occurred through an unprotected MongoDB database that was left accessible without any authentication required, allowing anyone who found the database to access and download its contents.
Verifications.io’s response
In response to the breach, Verifications.io took the exposed database offline and began an investigation into how such a significant amount of data was left unprotected. The company also engaged with cybersecurity professionals to assess and enhance their security practices. However, detailed information about specific remedial actions taken to protect affected individuals was not widely disclosed.
How do I know if I was affected?
If you have used Verifications.io's services or suspect your email address could have been part of their verification lists, you might have been affected by this breach. Additionally, users can check platforms like HaveIBeenPwned to see if their data was involved in the breach.
What should affected users do?
If your data was exposed in the Verifications.io incident, you might want to take these steps:
Check Your Email: Use Have I Been Pwned to see if your email is part of the breach.
Monitor for Spam and Phishing: Be vigilant about unsolicited communications and potential phishing attempts using your leaked data.
Update Your Security Settings: Change passwords for email and other important accounts, especially if you use the same password across multiple sites.
Be Cautious with Personal Information: Limit the amount of personal information you share online to reduce the impact of potential future breaches.
For more detailed assistance or advice, individuals may need to consult with cybersecurity experts or resources dedicated to identity protection.
Where can I go to learn more?
For more information on the Verifications.io data breach, you can refer to the following articles:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
What happened in the Verifications.io data breach?
Twingate Team
•
Mar 21, 2024
Verifications.io, an email verification service, suffered a massive data breach in early 2019. The breach was discovered when an extensive collection of personal data was found exposed online without any security measures in place. This incident highlighted significant concerns regarding the handling and security of personal data by data aggregation and verification services.
How many accounts were compromised?
The breach exposed approximately 763 million records, affecting a vast number of individuals and businesses worldwide.
What type of data was leaked?
The exposed data included personal information such as dates of birth, email addresses, employers, genders, geographic locations, ip addresses, job titles, names, phone numbers, and physical addresses.
How was Verifications.io hacked?
The breach occurred through an unprotected MongoDB database that was left accessible without any authentication required, allowing anyone who found the database to access and download its contents.
Verifications.io’s response
In response to the breach, Verifications.io took the exposed database offline and began an investigation into how such a significant amount of data was left unprotected. The company also engaged with cybersecurity professionals to assess and enhance their security practices. However, detailed information about specific remedial actions taken to protect affected individuals was not widely disclosed.
How do I know if I was affected?
If you have used Verifications.io's services or suspect your email address could have been part of their verification lists, you might have been affected by this breach. Additionally, users can check platforms like HaveIBeenPwned to see if their data was involved in the breach.
What should affected users do?
If your data was exposed in the Verifications.io incident, you might want to take these steps:
Check Your Email: Use Have I Been Pwned to see if your email is part of the breach.
Monitor for Spam and Phishing: Be vigilant about unsolicited communications and potential phishing attempts using your leaked data.
Update Your Security Settings: Change passwords for email and other important accounts, especially if you use the same password across multiple sites.
Be Cautious with Personal Information: Limit the amount of personal information you share online to reduce the impact of potential future breaches.
For more detailed assistance or advice, individuals may need to consult with cybersecurity experts or resources dedicated to identity protection.
Where can I go to learn more?
For more information on the Verifications.io data breach, you can refer to the following articles: