[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f1al2xgr577q1w":3},{"success":4,"breach":5},true,{"_id":6,"name":7,"title":8,"slug":9,"domain":10,"breachDate":11,"addedDate":12,"modifiedDate":12,"contentUpdatedAt":13,"source":14,"sourceUrl":15,"sourceUrls":16,"pwnCount":17,"affectedCount":17,"affectedCountStatus":18,"affectedCountLowerBound":19,"affectedCountUnit":20,"hasEnglishDescription":4,"severity":21,"dataClasses":22,"description":27,"seoTitle":28,"seoTitleEn":29,"seoDescription":28,"seoDescriptionEn":30,"logoUrl":31,"isVerified":4,"isSensitive":4,"isSpamList":32,"isMalware":32,"company":33},"68e3266eda11adda488251ef","GameSalad","GameSalad Data Breach","gamesalad","gamesalad.com","2019-02-24T00:00:00.000Z","2019-07-21T14:18:46.000Z","2026-07-18T23:51:12.120Z","Verified breach record","https:\u002F\u002Fthehackernews.com\u002F2019\u002F03\u002Fdata-breach-security.html",[15],1506242,"known",null,"unknown","Critical",[23,24,25,26],"Email addresses","IP addresses","Passwords","Usernames","\u003Cp>The GameSalad data breach is a verified incident in February 2019 that affected accounts using the no-code development platform focused on education and game production. The confirmed scope is limited to 1,506,242 accounts. The affected data groups are email addresses, IP addresses, usernames, and passwords stored in SHA-256 hash format. Although the incident has been discussed in the context of a broader sales archive belonging to different platforms, the number to be presented to the user for GameSalad records is at the 1.5 million account level. This distinction is important; larger overall archive numbers should not be directly interpreted as GameSalad users or GameSalad email matches. Phone number, physical address, payment card, government ID, date of birth, private message, or project file are not among the verified data classes for the GameSalad incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Leaking Data Types and Risks\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>In this breach, email addresses, usernames, and IP addresses were exposed along with passwords. Storing passwords in SHA-256 hash format does not mean plain text passwords; however, SHA-256 alone is not considered the strongest current option for storing passwords. If the password is short, predictable, or reused on other accounts, attackers can target different services through hash cracking and automated login attempts. The risk increases if the same email and password were used for education, game development, forums, social media, or email accounts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>IP addresses and usernames also provide additional context. An IP address alone is not definitive proof of location or identity; however, when considered together with an email address and username, it can be used for profile matching, fake security notifications, and targeted phishing messages. In educational and production tools like GameSalad, users may be students, independent developers, or small teams. When these groups link project accounts with personal email accounts, the impact of a leak can spread to a wider account network.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Verified Scope and Boundaries\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The verified number for the GameSalad event should be kept as 1,506,242. This value represents the scope of accounts associated with the GameSalad event; mentioning the event in a broader data sales wave that includes other platforms does not justify using a higher number for GameSalad. The same user may have multiple accounts, some records may remain with old email addresses, or technical duplicates may be observed. Therefore, the number should be conveyed as an account record, not presented as the exact number of real individuals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Verified data classes are email addresses, IP addresses, passwords, and usernames. The password field should be specified as a SHA-256 hash. Fields such as phone, address, payment, official ID, date of birth, private message, game project file, device information, or student record should not be added to this record until verified. This limitation provides the user with accurate risk communication and prevents the generation of unsupported data classes based on the general usage of the platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>User Groups at Risk\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The highest risk is for users who reuse the password they use on their GameSalad account for other accounts as well. On educational and game development platforms, users often create accounts with their personal email addresses. The fact that the same email and password remain valid on their email account, game store, student account, forum, or social media account turns a past breach into a current account takeover risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Independent developers, students, teachers, and small team accounts should also be careful. The username and email address can be associated with a person's profile in development communities. The IP address can also provide additional traces about the session context. Even if an old account is no longer in use, if the same username is maintained on different platforms, attackers may target the user with messages themed around fake collaboration, project sharing, account verification, or educational content.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Urgent Measures to Be Taken\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>A user with an email address in GameSalad data should make sure that their old password used on their GameSalad account is not valid on any other platform. If the same or a similar password has been used elsewhere, a separate, long, and hard-to-guess password should be created for each account. Using a password manager reduces the risk of reuse. Changing a small part of the password, adding a year at the end, or keeping the same pattern is not sufficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two-factor authentication should be enabled for email accounts, educational platforms, game development tools, social media, and services that include payments. If there are unrecognized sessions, unknown devices, password reset requests, or security notifications in the account history, sessions should be closed and recovery information should be updated. Fake project invitations, gift codes, and account verification messages related to GameSalad or game development should be carefully examined. The address and sender information should be independently verified before clicking on links.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Long-Term Security Strategies\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The GameSalad incident shows that accounts used for educational and production tools should be protected as much as main identity accounts. Users should not repeat the same password on personal, educational, development, and social accounts. Older platform accounts should be reviewed regularly, unused accounts should be closed, or isolated with unique passwords and multi-factor authentication. Repeating the same username across many platforms should be a conscious choice, as it makes profile matching easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key lesson for service providers is that the password hashing process should not be limited to just a standard hash function. Modern, cost-adjustable, and password-focused methods should be preferred for storing passwords, session data such as IP addresses should not be retained longer than necessary, and access logs should be regularly audited. During incident reporting, it should be clearly stated which data was leaked, which data could not be verified, and how platform-specific scope is distinguished with larger archive numbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Record Control and User Action\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>During the registration check for a GameSalad violation, the result indicates whether the entered email address is found in this verified data set. If the result is positive, the email address, username, IP address, and SHA-256 password hash should be considered within the scope of risk. If the result is negative, it means that no match was found in this specific data set; this does not mean that the individual has not been involved in other violations. Therefore, the result should be interpreted only in the context of the GameSalad incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The correct user action is to completely abandon the old password, change all passwords that are reused, secure the email account with multi-factor authentication, and review educational, development, or gaming accounts opened with the same username. An old-dated incident poses a current risk if the same passwords are still being used today. When the user sees a record match, they should correct not only the GameSalad account but all account habits linked with the same credentials.\u003C\u002Fp>","","GameSalad Data Breach (1.5 Million Reported Records)","GameSalad Data Breach. 1.5 Million reported records were reported. Reported data: Email addresses, IP addresses, Passwords. Review the scope, risks, and…","\u002Fuploads\u002Flogo\u002Fgamesalad_com.webp",false,{"name":7,"sector":34,"country":35,"website":10,"websiteArchiveUrl":28,"websiteStatus":28,"websiteCheckedAt":19},"Game development platform","United States"]