Skip to content
vindicis

LinkedIn data breach — are you affected?

The login data of LinkedIn accounts was stolen in 2012 and only surfaced in 2016, when it was offered for sale on a dark market site. It contains email addresses and passwords stored as unsalted SHA-1 hashes, which were cracked in bulk soon after the release. Anyone who used the same password elsewhere should treat it as known to criminals.

Key facts
Verified
Breach date
5 May 2012
Accounts affected
164,611,595
Added to catalogue
21 May 2016
Website
linkedin.com

Data exposed

  • Passwords, high risk
  • Email addresses, 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.

  • 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.

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 LinkedIn breach?

Only a check of your own address can tell. If you had an account with LinkedIn around 2012, 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 LinkedIn breach?

According to the Have I Been Pwned catalogue, the LinkedIn breach affected 164,611,595 accounts and exposed: Passwords, Email addresses. The incident dates from 5 May 2012.

What should I do if I had a LinkedIn account?

Change your LinkedIn password and the password of every account that shared it, and turn on two-factor authentication. Treat unexpected emails, texts or letters that mention LinkedIn 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.