Everything You Need to Know About the ShareThis.com Breach

April 5, 2022

ShareThis.com, a social media sharing platform, recently suffered a data breach that affects millions of users. This is a significant event because ShareThis is used by some of the largest websites in the world, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what happened, how it affects users, and what steps you can take to protect yourself.

When Did the Breach Happen?

The ShareThis.com breach was exposed in February 2019. However, the hacker was likely actively engaged in this during 2018.

What Happened During the Breach?

The hacker was able to gain access to ShareThis.com’s user database, which includes email addresses, usernames, and hashed passwords. In addition, the hacker also gained access to social media tokens that were used to share content on ShareThis.com. These tokens can be used to post content on behalf of the user on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

How Many People Were Affected by the Share This Data Breach?

While the full extent of damage is not yet known, it is estimated that over 100 million people were affected by this ShareThis data breach. According to the website LeakedSource, over 26 million people were affected by the data breach.

What Information Was Leaked in the ShareThis.com Breach?

ShareThis.com collects a variety of personal information from users, including names, email addresses, dates of birth, genders, and social media handles. It is believed that all of this information was accessed by the hacker. This information was leaked on the dark web and contained hashed passwords and was used to solicit personal data.

What Did the Company Immediately Do?

Immediately after this data security incident, ShareThis.com began the process of notifying all affected users, ShareThis accounts potentially affected, and other accounts that might be leaked, and is working with law enforcement to investigate the incident. The company has also taken steps to increase security, including adding two-factor authentication.

What is ShareThis.com?

ShareThis.com is a social media sharing platform that allows users to share content with their friends and followers. The company has over 100 million monthly active users and partners with some of the largest social media websites in the world.

Why Was the ShareThis.com Breach so Damaging?

This data breach was particularly damaging because it exposed a large amount of sensitive personal information on any account prior to the hack. This information could be used to commit identity theft or other crimes.

How to Know if Your Info Was Exposed During the Breach

If you are a ShareThis.com user, you should assume that your information was exposed in the breach. However, you can check to see if your email address was included in the leaked data by using a tool like Have I Been Pwned.

What to Do if You Were Affected by the ShareThis Data Breach

If you were affected by the ShareThis data breach, you should take steps to protect yourself from identity theft and other crimes. First, you should change your password on any site or other accounts where you used the same password as your ShareThis.com account.

You should also be vigilant about checking your bank statements and credit report for signs of fraud. Finally, you should consider signing up for a credit monitoring service.

Can This Breach Be Used to Steal Someone’s Identity?

Yes, data breaches can be used to steal someone’s identity. If you have been affected by this breach, you should take steps to protect yourself from identity theft.

What Else Can Hackers Do With This Information?

In addition to using this information to commit identity theft, hackers can also use it to send phishing emails or to create fake social media accounts.

How Can I Protect Myself From Future Breaches?

There are a few things you can do to protect yourself from future similar incidents. First, you should use a unique password for each of your online accounts.

You should also enable two-factor authentication whenever possible. Finally, you should keep your software up to date and be cautious about clicking on links in emails.

How Long Should You Monitor Your Credit Report?

You should monitor your credit report for at least a year after the breach. However, you may want to monitor it for longer if you are concerned about identity theft. You can monitor your credit report by signing up for a credit monitoring service. It’s actually recommended to consistently monitor your report every month to prevent future similar incidents.

What is a Credit Monitoring Service?

A credit monitoring service is a service that monitors your credit report for changes. This can be useful if you are concerned about identity theft. Some credit monitoring services will also send you alerts if there are any changes to your credit report. Even if you sign up for one of these services, you should manually check your report once per month. It will also let you know if someone could be using your information on the dark web, which is where hackers or an unauthorized person solicit your personal data.

Should You Freeze Your Credit?

You may want to consider freezing your credit if you are concerned about identity theft. This will prevent criminals from opening new accounts in your name. You can contact data security experts or open initial investigations within your credit card associated with any account the hacker may have got into. It’s important to be cautious with data theft and try to catch it before it happens.

How to Freeze Your Credit

You can freeze your credit by contacting the three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Each bureau has its own process for freezing and unfreezing your credit.

What Is ShareThis.com Doing to Help Those Affected by the Breach?

ShareThis.com is notifying users who were affected by the breach and is providing them with information on how to take additional measures to protect themselves from identity theft. The company is also taking steps to improve its security measures.

What Are Some Other Recent Data Breaches to Be Aware Of?

Some other recent data breaches include the Equifax breach, in which over 145 million people had their personal information exposed, and the Yahoo breach, in which over 3 billion people were affected.

You can find more information on these breaches and others at DataBreaches.net.

Wrapping It Up

The ShareThis.com data breach was a major incident that exposed a large amount of sensitive personal information. If you are a ShareThis account user, you should take steps to protect yourself and your confidential information from identity theft and other crimes from an unauthorized individual.

You can do this by changing your password on any site where you used the same password as your ShareThis.com account, being vigilant about checking your bank statements and credit report for signs of fraud and considering signing up for a credit monitoring service.

 

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