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What happened in the Fling data breach?

What happened in the Fling data breach?

Twingate Team

Apr 25, 2024

In March 2011, the adult social network Fling experienced a significant data breach. The incident was part of a cluster of breaches that also affected LinkedIn, Tumblr, and MySpace, compromising a massive number of accounts. This event was one of several "megabreaches" that raised concerns about digital security and privacy.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach compromised approximately 40.8 million accounts.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included dates of birth, email addresses, genders, geographic locations, IP addresses, passwords, phone numbers, sexual fetishes, sexual orientations, usernames, and website activity.

How was Fling hacked?

In 2011, Fling's database was breached, resulting in the compromise of over 40 million user accounts. The attacker, known as "Peace of Mind," gained unauthorized access to sensitive user data, including email addresses and plain-text passwords. The specific technical methods used by the attacker are not detailed, but the stolen data was later sold on a dark web platform called The Real Deal market, suggesting a sophisticated approach to monetizing the breach.

Fling's solution

In response to the data breach, Fling took action by advising its users to change their passwords, especially if the same password was used on other services. While the specific enhanced security measures taken by Fling are not detailed in the available sources, the involvement of security expert Troy Hunt in analyzing the data sample and verifying the breach indicates some level of collaboration with cybersecurity experts. However, it is unclear if direct notifications were sent to affected customers or if additional steps were taken to secure the platform and prevent future incidents.

How do I know if I was affected?

It is unclear whether Fling directly reached out to affected users following the breach. However, if you were a Fling user at the time and have not received any notification, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check if your credentials were compromised in the breach.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  1. Change Your Fling Password: Immediately update your Fling password. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  2. Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on your Fling account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

For specific advice on Fling's data breach, reach out to their customer support by visiting the Customer Support - Fling page.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Fling data breach, check out the following news articles:

Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.

/

What happened in the Fling data breach?

What happened in the Fling data breach?

Twingate Team

Apr 25, 2024

In March 2011, the adult social network Fling experienced a significant data breach. The incident was part of a cluster of breaches that also affected LinkedIn, Tumblr, and MySpace, compromising a massive number of accounts. This event was one of several "megabreaches" that raised concerns about digital security and privacy.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach compromised approximately 40.8 million accounts.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included dates of birth, email addresses, genders, geographic locations, IP addresses, passwords, phone numbers, sexual fetishes, sexual orientations, usernames, and website activity.

How was Fling hacked?

In 2011, Fling's database was breached, resulting in the compromise of over 40 million user accounts. The attacker, known as "Peace of Mind," gained unauthorized access to sensitive user data, including email addresses and plain-text passwords. The specific technical methods used by the attacker are not detailed, but the stolen data was later sold on a dark web platform called The Real Deal market, suggesting a sophisticated approach to monetizing the breach.

Fling's solution

In response to the data breach, Fling took action by advising its users to change their passwords, especially if the same password was used on other services. While the specific enhanced security measures taken by Fling are not detailed in the available sources, the involvement of security expert Troy Hunt in analyzing the data sample and verifying the breach indicates some level of collaboration with cybersecurity experts. However, it is unclear if direct notifications were sent to affected customers or if additional steps were taken to secure the platform and prevent future incidents.

How do I know if I was affected?

It is unclear whether Fling directly reached out to affected users following the breach. However, if you were a Fling user at the time and have not received any notification, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check if your credentials were compromised in the breach.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  1. Change Your Fling Password: Immediately update your Fling password. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  2. Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on your Fling account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

For specific advice on Fling's data breach, reach out to their customer support by visiting the Customer Support - Fling page.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Fling data breach, check out the following news articles:

Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.

What happened in the Fling data breach?

Twingate Team

Apr 25, 2024

In March 2011, the adult social network Fling experienced a significant data breach. The incident was part of a cluster of breaches that also affected LinkedIn, Tumblr, and MySpace, compromising a massive number of accounts. This event was one of several "megabreaches" that raised concerns about digital security and privacy.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach compromised approximately 40.8 million accounts.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included dates of birth, email addresses, genders, geographic locations, IP addresses, passwords, phone numbers, sexual fetishes, sexual orientations, usernames, and website activity.

How was Fling hacked?

In 2011, Fling's database was breached, resulting in the compromise of over 40 million user accounts. The attacker, known as "Peace of Mind," gained unauthorized access to sensitive user data, including email addresses and plain-text passwords. The specific technical methods used by the attacker are not detailed, but the stolen data was later sold on a dark web platform called The Real Deal market, suggesting a sophisticated approach to monetizing the breach.

Fling's solution

In response to the data breach, Fling took action by advising its users to change their passwords, especially if the same password was used on other services. While the specific enhanced security measures taken by Fling are not detailed in the available sources, the involvement of security expert Troy Hunt in analyzing the data sample and verifying the breach indicates some level of collaboration with cybersecurity experts. However, it is unclear if direct notifications were sent to affected customers or if additional steps were taken to secure the platform and prevent future incidents.

How do I know if I was affected?

It is unclear whether Fling directly reached out to affected users following the breach. However, if you were a Fling user at the time and have not received any notification, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check if your credentials were compromised in the breach.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  1. Change Your Fling Password: Immediately update your Fling password. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  2. Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on your Fling account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

For specific advice on Fling's data breach, reach out to their customer support by visiting the Customer Support - Fling page.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Fling data breach, check out the following news articles: