What Happened in the Ixigo Data Breach of January 2019?

In January 2019, Ixigo, a well-known travel and hotel booking platform in India, faced a serious data breach that exposed the personal information of more than 17 million users. Attackers gained unauthorized access to a database containing a wealth of user data, which included full names, email addresses, phone numbers, location details, and even social media profile links. Ixigo’s website and app were popular avenues for booking flights, trains, hotels, and more, putting millions of traveler's personal data at risk. The breach underscored ongoing risks for companies that handle large volumes of user data and the sensitive nature of information stored within travel services.

Scope and Impact of the Ixigo Breach

The breach affected a massive user base, with a total of 17,204,894 records compromised. The exposed details provide enough information to potentially identify and contact users outside of the Ixigo platform. The types of data accessed included email addresses, first and last names, full contact numbers, physical location components (such as city and country), and even direct links to user social media profiles, as well as URLs associated with user accounts.

Details of the Exposed Data

The compromised information was wide-ranging. Every affected user’s record potentially contained:

• Email address
• Full name (including first and last names)
• Phone number
• Country and city details
• Links to social media profiles
• Associated account URLs

This combination gave attackers a broad snapshot of each Ixigo user’s identity and online presence. No financial details were reported among the leaked fields, but the nature of the data remains personally identifiable and sensitive.

Timeline of Events

The breach is traced back to January 2019, though public awareness and detailed reporting unfolded in the months following. After cybercriminals accessed and exfiltrated the user records, the dataset began circulating among hacking communities. Impacted users were not always aware at the time, highlighting the time lag that can exist between an actual breach and broad public disclosure.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Ixigo Breach

How many users were impacted by the Ixigo data breach?

More than 17 million users were affected, with over 17,204,894 individual records exposed in the breach.

What specific information was leaked in the 2019 Ixigo data breach?

The breach exposed email addresses, full names, phone numbers, country and city details, links to social media profiles, and related account URLs of Ixigo users.

When and how did the Ixigo breach happen?

The incident occurred in January 2019, when attackers gained unauthorized access to Ixigo’s user data stored in its systems. The exact technical method behind the breach hasn’t been disclosed.

How can I check if I'm in the Ixigo breach?

You can check if your information was part of the Ixigo breach by utilizing the DeHashed search engine.