[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$ful52u1czcrw2":3},{"success":4,"breach":5},true,{"_id":6,"name":7,"title":8,"slug":7,"domain":9,"breachDate":10,"addedDate":11,"modifiedDate":12,"contentUpdatedAt":13,"source":14,"sourceUrl":15,"sourceUrls":16,"pwnCount":18,"affectedCount":18,"affectedCountStatus":19,"affectedCountLowerBound":20,"affectedCountUnit":21,"hasEnglishDescription":4,"severity":22,"dataClasses":23,"description":28,"seoTitle":29,"seoTitleEn":30,"seoDescription":29,"seoDescriptionEn":31,"logoUrl":32,"isVerified":4,"isSensitive":33,"isSpamList":33,"isMalware":33,"company":34},"68e3266eda11adda4882511b","bolt","Bolt Data Breach","bolt.cd","2017-03-01T00:00:00.000Z","2017-11-24T08:15:24.000Z","2026-07-09T16:46:44.363Z","2026-07-18T23:44:42.877Z","Third party breach","https:\u002F\u002Fnullivo.com\u002Fbreach\u002Fbolt",[15,17],"https:\u002F\u002Fdatabreach.com\u002Fbreach\u002Fbolt.cd-2017",995274,"known",null,"unknown","High",[24,25,26,27],"Email addresses","IP addresses","Passwords","Usernames","\u003Cp>The Bolt data breach is an account data leak originating from the vBulletin forum records of the file-sharing site known by the domain bolt.cd. The incident is dated around March 2017, and the verified unique record volume is 995,274 user accounts. This record should not be confused with different services or brands with the same name; the service discussed here is the file-sharing community and forum membership data.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main risk of the breach is the joint exposure of forum login information. When email addresses, IP addresses, usernames, and salted MD5 password hashes are found in the same data set, attackers can link former forum memberships to other online accounts. Even if the password field has not been verified in plain text, the MD5-based hash structure is weak according to modern security expectations. Therefore, the risk continues for individuals who use the same or similar passwords on other services, even if years have passed since the incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Leaked Data Types and Risks\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The verified data categories are email addresses, IP addresses, usernames, and passwords. An email address is the user's direct point of contact; a username, on the other hand, can lead to the matching of profiles of individuals using the same nickname, especially on forums, file-sharing communities, and similar sites. IP addresses can provide limited signals about the connection region and access habits. When these three areas are combined with a password hash, the risk of account takeover, phishing, and profile correlation increases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Storing passwords in salted MD5 format does not mean that the plain text password is directly present in the data; however, it is not considered sufficient to prevent the guessing of weak, short, or reused passwords. The use of salt reduces the likelihood that the exact same password will produce identical output, but because MD5 can be tried very quickly, attackers can test common password patterns. If a user uses the same password for their email account, cloud storage, game account, or other forums, the risk extends far beyond the Bolt account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Verified Scope and Boundaries\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The verified scope for this record is 995,274 unique user accounts. It is confirmed that the data includes email addresses, IP addresses, usernames, and password hashes. Personal profile, transaction, content, or message details outside of these four fields are not within the verified scope for this record. This distinction is particularly important because the name Bolt is used in different sectors, so providing a description with the wrong brand or incorrect data type can mislead users.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The number of rows or record counts may appear differently in some secondary lists. In this record, the main number shown to the user is preserved based on the verified unique account impact. The number of rows and the number of unique accounts may not be the same; duplicate email addresses, missing fields, or differently truncated data sets can create this difference. Therefore, the explanation should be limited to verified data classes and the impact of 995,274 accounts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>User Groups at Risk\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The highest risk group consists of people who have an account on bolt.cd and use the same password on other services. File sharing and forum accounts are often created years ago and then forgotten; however, the passwords chosen at that time may continue to exist on different accounts. If an old forum username is the same as nicknames on other communities, the risk of identity matching also increases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This breach particularly affects users who register with a personal email address, use short passwords, do not use a password manager, or consider their forum account unimportant and reuse the same password in many places. Because of the IP address field, there is also a risk of generating targeted messages based on the old connection area or access habits. The risk does not disappear just because the file-sharing site is no longer in use; the exposed credentials can be tried on other services.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Urgent Measures to Be Taken\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Users who see a match in this record should first evaluate whether it is repeated on their bolt.cd account or the forum password they used at the same time. If the same or similar password is still being used on another account, it should be changed immediately. Priority should be on email accounts, cloud storage, social networks, services used for financial transactions, game accounts, and work accounts. Using a unique and long password for each account renders trial attacks originating from old data sets ineffective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the email and username have been exposed together, caution should be exercised against messages that appear to be fake account alerts, password reset requests, file sharing invitations, or copyright warnings. Instead of logging in through incoming links, the relevant service should be accessed directly, unexpected attachments should not be opened, and account recovery options should be updated. Two-factor authentication should be enabled on critical accounts, and if possible, app-based or hardware authentication methods should be used.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Long-Term Security Strategies\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The Bolt incident shows that old forum and file-sharing accounts should also be included in regular security cleanup. Users should now close community accounts they no longer use, use unique passwords for accounts that cannot be closed, and minimize unnecessary details in profile information. It should not be forgotten that if the same nickname needs to be used on many forums, this can make it easier to link personal profiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This registration for corporate teams reminds that employees may have registered on old community sites with their personal or corporate email addresses. Rules that prevent password reuse, leaked password checks, multi-factor authentication, and security awareness training should be conducted together. A seemingly small file-sharing forum breach can open the door to more serious security incidents if the same credentials are used on work accounts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Record Control and User Action\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Seeing a match with the email address in this record indicates that the user is included in the bolt.cd forum data. The user should first try to remember the password or password pattern they used at that time, and then update all accounts where the same pattern was repeated. Even if the password is not remembered, old password habits used before 2017 should be considered risky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A match does not definitively prove that the password was obtained in plain text; however, the exposure of password hashes is sufficient for security action. When a unique password, two-factor authentication, and careful email monitoring are implemented together, the risks of account takeover, phishing, and profile matching arising from this breach are significantly reduced. Even if an old forum membership seems insignificant, the real risk persists if the same password has been used on other accounts.\u003C\u002Fp>","","Bolt Data Breach (995.3 Thousand Reported Records)","Bolt Data Breach. 995.3 Thousand reported records were reported. Reported data: Email addresses, IP addresses, Passwords. Review the scope, risks, and…","\u002Fuploads\u002Flogo\u002Fbolt_cd.webp",false,{"name":35,"sector":36,"country":29,"website":9,"websiteArchiveUrl":29,"websiteStatus":29,"websiteCheckedAt":20},"Bolt","File sharing \u002F vBulletin forum"]