[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f148qczq7ccise":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":29,"seoTitle":30,"seoTitleEn":31,"seoDescription":30,"seoDescriptionEn":32,"logoUrl":33,"isVerified":4,"isSensitive":4,"isSpamList":34,"isMalware":34,"company":35},"68e3266eda11adda48825126","breachforums","BreachForums Data Breach","breached.vc","2022-11-29T00:00:00.000Z","2023-07-26T21:08:55.000Z","2026-07-09T17:15:56.477Z","2026-07-18T23:46:25.221Z","Third party breach","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.bitdefender.com\u002Fen-us\u002Fblog\u002Fhotforsecurity\u002Fhackers-exposed-in-notorious-cybercrime-forum-data-breach",[15,17],"https:\u002F\u002Fmedium.com\u002F@costin.raiu\u002Fan-analysis-of-the-breachforums-leak-s-55539f6c18df",212156,"known",null,"unknown","High",[24,25,26,27,28],"Email addresses","IP addresses","Passwords","Private messages","Usernames","\u003Cp>The BreachForums data breach is related to the exposure of the forum's own user data, known by the domain name breached.vc, which deals with hacking and data leaks. The incident was recorded on November 29, 2022, and the verified impact is at the level of 212,156 accounts. This record should not be considered an ordinary forum breach; because the forum's subject matter, membership context, and private message data pose an additional privacy and reputation risk for users.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The verified data categories are email addresses, IP addresses, passwords, private messages, and usernames. It has been confirmed that passwords are stored as Argon2 hashes; although this structure is considered strong among modern password storage methods, the risk persists if passwords are reused. The exposure of private messages and forum membership can pose risks not only to technical account security but also to identity matching, tracking, targeted harassment, or social engineering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Leaking Data Types and Risks\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>In the BreachForums record, email addresses, usernames, IP addresses, password hashes, and private messages have been verified. When an email and username are found together, the forum identity can be matched with other accounts. IP addresses can provide technical signals about connection regions and session history. Private messages can contain more sensitive content, such as conversations between users, links, transaction discussions, or information belonging to third parties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Storing passwords with Argon2 indicates that the password field is not held with a weak hashing method; nevertheless, if the user reused the same password on other services, the risk of account compromise continues. More importantly, due to the context of the forum, the membership data itself can also be sensitive. The revelation that a user is on this forum, which username they use, or whom they have messaged can pose personal, legal, or institutional risks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Verified Scope and Boundaries\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The verified scope of this record is 212,156 accounts and five data classes: email addresses, IP addresses, passwords, private messages, and usernames. Phone number, physical address, payment card, government ID, or full device content are not among the verified data fields for this record. The record should be limited to membership and message data belonging to the relevant version of BreachForums.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since there are forums opened in different periods or re-established under the same name, this record should not be confused with other BreachForums versions. Subsequent forum closures, different leaks, or other domain names should be considered as separate incidents. The number and data classes shown to the user should be preserved based on the scope of this verified 2022 incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>User Groups at Risk\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The highest risk group includes people who have a BreachForums account, use the same username on other platforms, and reuse the same password across different accounts. If the email address is linked to a personal or corporate identity, the exposure of the forum membership can have more serious consequences for the user. IP addresses can provide additional context about users' connection regions or access habits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Users who have private messages are also at risk due to the content of the conversations. If there are links, usernames, transaction details, or information belonging to third parties shared in the messages, these should also be evaluated separately. If a forum has been used with a corporate device or work email, the incident should also be examined separately from a corporate security perspective. The risk is not limited to changing passwords; identity and communication relationships are also important.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Urgent Measures to Be Taken\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Users who see a match should first check the password used on their BreachForums account and whether the same password has been reused on other accounts. If the same or a similar password is used on another account, it should be changed immediately. Email accounts, social media, forums, developer accounts, chat platforms, and work accounts should be prioritized. A unique and long password should be used for each account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Users should review the links, file addresses, nicknames, emails, or third-party information shared in messages because private messages may have been affected. Caution should be exercised against messages themed around threats, blackmail, account security, forum invitations, or data sales. Instead of logging in through links, users should go directly to the relevant services, enable two-factor authentication on critical accounts, and update account recovery information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Long-Term Security Strategies\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The BreachForums incident shows that membership data from high-risk forums may have a greater privacy impact than ordinary community accounts. Users should avoid using their main email address, corporate account, or reused usernames in communities with sensitive contexts. A unique password, separate credentials, and strong two-factor authentication should be preferred for each account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the perspective of corporate security teams, such records raise the need to check whether employee email addresses are being used on high-risk forums. However, these checks must be conducted carefully, in accordance with the law, and following the principles of data minimization. On the user side, closing old forum accounts, not keeping sensitive information in private messages, and not repeating pseudonyms in different contexts reduces long-term risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Record Control and User Action\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Finding a match with the email address in this record indicates that the user is included in the BreachForums dataset. The user should first evaluate which username and password they used, whether this username can be linked to other profiles, and what information might have been included in private messages. If a connection can be made with a corporate or personal identity, the risk should be considered higher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Matching does not prove that the password was exposed in plain text; however, the presence of Argon2 password hashes, IP addresses, usernames, and private messages together is a serious security warning. Using unique passwords, two-factor authentication, checking incoming messages directly from a trusted channel, and reducing sensitive context accounts are steps that significantly reduce the risks of account takeover, identity matching, and privacy concerns that could arise from the BreachForums breach.\u003C\u002Fp>","","BreachForums Data Breach (212.2 Thousand Reported Records)","BreachForums Data Breach. 212.2 Thousand reported records were reported. Reported data: Email addresses, IP addresses, Passwords. Review the scope, risks, and…","\u002Fuploads\u002Flogo\u002Fbreached_vc.webp",false,{"name":36,"sector":37,"country":38,"website":9,"websiteArchiveUrl":30,"websiteStatus":30,"websiteCheckedAt":20},"BreachForums","Hacking forum \u002F data leak marketplace","United States"]