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Chegg data breach — are you affected?

In April 2018 the textbook-rental service Chegg was breached, affecting about 40 million subscribers. The data holds email addresses, usernames, names and unsalted MD5 password hashes, which are fast to crack, with a physical address or phone number on a small number of records.

Key facts
Verified
Breach date
28 April 2018
Accounts affected
39,721,127
Added to catalogue
16 August 2019
Website
chegg.com

Data exposed

  • Passwords, high risk
  • Phone numbers, medium risk
  • Physical addresses, medium risk
  • Email addresses, lower risk
  • Names, lower risk
  • Usernames, lower risk

Colour shows how damaging the data is if misused.Credentials, ID and bank dataContact and personal detailsOther profile data

What this means for you

Based on the types of data in this breach, in order of importance.

  • Change the password and turn on two-factor authentication

    Passwords or password hashes were part of this breach. Change the password on this service and on every site where you reused it, use a unique password for each account from a password manager, and enable two-factor authentication. You can test a password without sending it anywhere with the password checker.

  • Watch for smishing and SIM-swap attempts

    A leaked phone number lets criminals send convincing text messages and try to take over the number. Do not tap links in unexpected SMS, set a PIN with your mobile carrier and prefer an authenticator app to SMS codes.

  • Expect phishing letters and delivery scams

    A physical address makes impersonation more believable and enables fake letters and parcel notices. Treat unexpected post or delivery messages asking for money or details with suspicion, and check anything official on the sender’s own website.

  • Expect more targeted phishing

    Your email address ties you to this service, which is enough for a believable message such as a fake account warning. Check the sender and the web address before you sign in, and go to the site directly instead of using links in email.

  • Limit what attackers can personalise

    Names, employers, job titles and social profiles make impersonation and spear-phishing easier. Check what your public profiles reveal, and be careful with unexpected requests that use your real name or workplace.

Check your own email address

Run a free self-assessment for an email address you own. VINDICIS checks it against infostealer logs and several public breach sources and shows a summary in seconds.

Built for your own addresses. It is not a tool to look up other people.

Run a free self-assessmentCheck a password

Related breaches

Breaches that exposed similar kinds of data.

Frequently asked questions

Was my data in the Chegg breach?

Only a check of your own address can tell. If you had an account with Chegg around 2018, assume it might be. Run the free self-assessment with an email address you own: VINDICIS checks it against several public breach sources and shows a summary in seconds. It is built for your own addresses, not for looking up other people.

What information was exposed in the Chegg breach?

According to the Have I Been Pwned catalogue, the Chegg breach affected 39,721,127 accounts and exposed: Passwords, Phone numbers, Physical addresses, Email addresses, Names, Usernames. The incident dates from 28 April 2018.

What should I do if I had a Chegg account?

Change your Chegg password and the password of every account that shared it, and turn on two-factor authentication. Treat unexpected emails, texts or letters that mention Chegg with suspicion, and delete the account if you no longer use it.

Is it safe to check my email address on VINDICIS?

Yes. The free scan is not stored or logged, results stay in memory for four hours at most, and your browser only talks to this site. The password checker hashes locally and sends only five characters of the hash, so the password never leaves your device.