ai.type data breach
From Breaches, in the HARD wiki · Updated
This article is about the December 2017 breach of ai.type. For every breach, see Breaches.
The ai.type data breach exposed 20,580,060 accounts from aitype.com in December 2017. The data taken includes dates of birth, names, email addresses and phone numbers and 11 more kinds of data.[1]
Have I Been Pwned verified it and added it to its search on 8 Dec 2017, within a month. It is the 90th largest of the 618 breaches in HARD’s list.
What was exposed
ai.type’s breach included 15 kinds of data. What each lets criminals do:
| Data | What it’s used for |
|---|---|
| Dates of birth | Used to prove who you are to banks and phone companies. |
| Names | Makes scam messages personal enough to believe. |
| Email addresses | Expect scam emails that name the company to look genuine. |
| Phone numbers | Expect scam texts and calls, and a higher risk of someone moving your number to their SIM. |
| Social media profiles | A way to reach you with scams. |
| Address book contacts | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Apps installed on devices | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Cellular network names | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Device information | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Genders | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Geographic locations | Roughly where you live. |
| IMEI numbers | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| IMSI numbers | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| IP addresses | Roughly where you were when you used the service. |
| Profile photos | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
What to do
- Check whether you’re in it.Search your email address on Have I Been Pwned. It tells you which breaches it appears in, ai.type among them, without showing the data.
- Distrust messages that mention ai.type.Scammers use breach data to sound genuine. Don’t click links in emails or texts about the breach; go to the site yourself.
- Put a PIN on your phone account.Ask your mobile provider for a port-out PIN, so no one can move your number to their SIM.
Timeline
- : the breach, as best it can be dated.
- : Have I Been Pwned verifies the data and adds it to its search, within a month.
Similar breaches
Breaches that leaked the same kinds of data, closest in time:
- EatStreet, May 2019, 6.4 million accounts
- Wishbone (2020), January 2020, 9.7 million accounts
- Liker, March 2021, 465,141 accounts
- Hurb, March 2019, 21 million accounts
- Wongnai, October 2020, 3.9 million accounts
- RentoMojo, April 2023, 2.2 million accounts
See Breaches for all 618, and Updates for keeping your devices patched.
References
External links
- Have I Been Pwned, to check your email address
- aitype.com, ai.type’s website