YouNow data breach: what leaked and what to do
YouNow (younow.com) had a data breach on 2019-02-15 affecting 18,241,518 accounts.
!Personal data leaked
Added to the catalogue 18 July 2019.
What leaked
- Email addresses
- IP addresses
- Names
- Social media profiles
- Usernames
What happened
In February 2019, data from the live broadcasting service YouNow appeared for sale on a dark web marketplace. Whilst it's not clear what date the actual breach occurred on, the impacted data included 18M unique email addresses, IP addresses, names, usernames and links to social media profiles. As authentication is performed via social providers, no passwords were exposed in the breach. Many records didn't have associated email addresses thus the unique number is lower than the reported total number of accounts.
Description from Have I Been Pwned, in its words.
What to do
- Warn staff: emails, texts or calls quoting leaked details are not proof the sender is genuine.
- If card or bank details leaked, watch statements and tell the bank; if identity documents leaked, consider a credit ban or alert.
- Turn on two-factor sign-in on that service and on your email.
Common questions
What leaked in the YouNow breach?
Email addresses, IP addresses, Names, Social media profiles, Usernames
When did the YouNow breach happen?
The breach date is 2019-02-15; it was added to the public catalogue on 2019-07-18.
What should I do if my staff used this service?
Warn staff about emails, texts and calls quoting the leaked details, and watch for sign-in attempts on the services they use.
Was a staff address in this breach?
Check one address free, no storage. Breach Watch checks every staff address after each new breach.