Data breach at Mashable leaks users’ emails, names, IP addresses etc online

Tech and culture news website Mashable recently announced that the personal data of its users have been discovered in a leaked database posted on the internet. Mashable issued a statement on November 8 confirming that a database with information from readers who used the social media sign-in feature for the site has been found online.

The company mentioned that a hacker known for targeting websites and apps was responsible for the data breach, but did not name the person suspected, as the Daily Swig reports.

The leaked data includes full names, email addresses, locations, gender, IP address and links to social media profiles of Mashable’s users.

“Based on our review, the database related to a feature that, in the past, had allowed readers to use their social media account sign-in (such as Facebook or Twitter) to make sharing content from Mashable easier,” the Mashable statement reads. 

As a precaution, Mashable has diasbaled the affected accounts and the company believes that password data has not been taken. Mashable also mentioned in the statement that they do not store any of its users’ financial data.

Mashable reportedly has 45 million unique monthly visitors and has warned its users to be wary of possible phishing campaigns as a result of this data breach.

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“Be careful of emails with links to unfamiliar sites. If you receive a suspicious email related to Mashable, please consider contacting us at secure@mashable.com so that we can investigate further,” Mashable mentioned in a notification.

Mashable also reminded its users to not share any passwords or personal details or payment information with anyone.

“We are working hard to investigate the issue and prevent it from happening again,” said Mashable.