Pornhub data leak: Hackers send threatening emails to premium users

A hacking collective known as ShinyHunters has announced its involvement in a significant data breach affecting Pornhub’s premium subscribers. The group has issued threats to release sensitive information unless their ransom demands are satisfied. This incident reportedly stems from a breach linked to Mixpanel, a data analytics service, as detailed by BleepingComputer. To add weight to their claims, ShinyHunters provided a sample of the stolen data to Reuters, which has been partially verified as legitimate. They communicated their demands directly to the news agency, stating, "We’re demanding a ransom payment in Bitcoin to prevent the publication of Pornhub data and delete the data." In response, Mixpanel has refuted the allegations, asserting that Pornhub was not among their clients affected by any data breach. They emphasized their confidence that the incident is unrelated to a previous breach that occurred in November, stating, “We are confident Pornhub was not among those clients and that this data is unrelated to the November incident.” As one of the internet’s leading platforms for adult content, Pornhub attracts over 100 million visitors daily and amasses approximately 36 billion visits annually. According to BleepingComputer, the ShinyHunters group has begun targeting Mixpanel users with emails that start with “We are ShinyHunters,” indicating that the stolen data will be published if their ransom is not paid. They claim to have acquired 94GB of data, comprising over 200 million records containing personal information. The extent of the breach reportedly includes detailed records of the search, viewing, and download activities of Pornhub Premium users, totaling 201,211,943 records. In a statement, Pornhub acknowledged the incident, clarifying that it involved data from a third-party analytics provider and specifically impacted a limited number of premium users. The company reassured its users that this was not a breach of its own systems, asserting that no passwords, credentials, payment information, or government identification numbers were compromised. They have since taken steps to secure affected accounts and halt any unauthorized access. Moreover, Pornhub has initiated an internal investigation and is collaborating with the relevant authorities, including Mixpanel, to fully understand the scope and nature of the breach. As investigations continue, Pornhub is committed to ensuring the safety and security of its users amidst this troubling incident.