Promo Data Breach: What Happened in the July 2020 Incident?

In July 2020, Promo, a well-known platform for creating marketing videos, experienced a large-scale data breach that drew attention from the cybersecurity community and users alike. The incident resulted in the exposure of over 22 million records, making it one of the more substantial data breaches of the year. The attacked userbase included nearly 15 million unique email addresses, and the breach was significant enough that the stolen data was later posted on a major hacking forum. Information such as first and last names, email addresses, IP addresses, city and country details, and even salted SHA-256 password hashes were among the compromised data. This breach underscored the risks faced by users of web-based marketing tools and placed a spotlight on the need for robust data management practices.

What Information Was Exposed?

The Promo breach impacted a broad range of user data. According to breach reports, the compromised information includes:

• First and last names
• Email addresses
• IP addresses
• City and country of residence
• Salted SHA-256 password hashes

While the password hashes were encrypted and salted, attackers were still able to gain access to them as part of the exposed data set. The combination of personal and contact information increased the scope and concern around this breach for both Promo and its users.

Scope and Impact of the Promo Breach

Promo's breach impacted over 22 million individual records, with almost 15 million unique email addresses affected. The scope of the breach revealed a wide exposure of the platform's users, making it one of the more significant marketing service incidents of 2020. The large number of details leaked made this event particularly noteworthy within both marketing and cybersecurity communities. The incident's magnitude was highlighted further when the stolen database surfaced on a well-known hacking forum, making the data easily accessible to malicious actors.

Timeline of Events

• July 2020: Promo detects unauthorized access to its database.
• Subsequent investigation reveals that more than 22 million records were compromised.
• Soon after, the database began circulating on hacking forums, confirming the scale of the breach and the types of information exposed.

The breach prompted Promo to review its security practices and address affected users according to common incident response measures at that time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in the Promo data breach?

In July 2020, Promo suffered a breach that allowed attackers to steal over 22 million user records, including email addresses, names, IP addresses, location details, and salted password hashes.

How many Promo users were affected by the breach?

The breach impacted over 22 million records, with nearly 15 million unique email addresses exposed alongside other personal data.

What kind of data was leaked in the Promo breach?

User data compromised in the breach included first and last names, email addresses, IP addresses, city and country, as well as salted SHA-256 password hashes.

Who was responsible for the Promo data breach?

The specific attackers behind the Promo breach were not publicly identified, but the stolen data was distributed on a popular hacking forum after the incident.

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

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