Bell (2017 breach) data breach
From Breaches, in the HARD wiki · Updated
This article is about the May 2017 breach of Bell (2017 breach). For every breach, see Breaches.
The Bell (2017 breach) data breach exposed 2,231,256 accounts from bell.ca in May 2017. The data taken includes passwords, usernames, names and email addresses and 6 more kinds of data.[1]
Have I Been Pwned verified it and added it to its search on 16 May 2017, within a month. It is the 302nd largest of the 618 breaches in HARD’s list.
What was exposed
Bell (2017 breach)’s breach included 10 kinds of data. What each lets criminals do:
| Data | What it’s used for |
|---|---|
| Passwords | Criminals try leaked passwords on email, banking and shopping sites, because people reuse them. |
| Usernames | Half of a login. With a reused password, it opens other accounts. |
| 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. |
| Geographic locations | Roughly where you live. |
| IP addresses | Roughly where you were when you used the service. |
| Job titles | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Spoken languages | Personal details that make scam messages more convincing. |
| Survey results | 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, Bell (2017 breach) among them, without showing the data.
- Change your Bell (2017 breach) password.If the account still exists, sign in at Bell (2017 breach) (bell.ca) and change it.
- Change it anywhere you used the same one.Start with your email, then banking and shopping. Leaked passwords are tried on other sites automatically, within days.
- Use a password manager and two-step sign-in.A different password for every site means one breach can’t open the rest. Two-step sign-in stops a leaked password working on its own.
- Distrust messages that mention Bell (2017 breach).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:
- Dubsmash, December 2018, 162 million accounts
- Chegg, April 2018, 40 million accounts
- ixigo, January 2019, 17 million accounts
- TaiLieu, November 2019, 7.3 million accounts
- Wishbone (2020), January 2020, 9.7 million accounts
- 123RF, March 2020, 8.7 million accounts
See Breaches for all 618, and Updates for keeping your devices patched.
References
- ^ Troy Hunt. “Bell (2017 breach)”, Have I Been Pwned, added 16 May 2017. Breach data licensed CC BY 4.0.
External links
- Have I Been Pwned, to check your email address
- bell.ca, Bell (2017 breach)’s website