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BlankMediaGames data breach

From Breaches, in the HARD wiki · Updated
This article is about the December 2018 breach of BlankMediaGames. For every breach, see Breaches.

The BlankMediaGames data breach exposed 7,633,234 accounts from blankmediagames.com in December 2018. The data taken includes passwords, usernames, purchases and email addresses and 3 more kinds of data.[1]

Have I Been Pwned verified it and added it to its search on 2 Jan 2019, within a month. It is the 149th largest of the 618 breaches in HARD’s list.

What was exposed

BlankMediaGames’s breach included 7 kinds of data. What each lets criminals do:

DataWhat it’s used for
PasswordsCriminals try leaked passwords on email, banking and shopping sites, because people reuse them.
UsernamesHalf of a login. With a reused password, it opens other accounts.
PurchasesShows what you buy, which makes fake order and refund scams convincing.
Email addressesExpect scam emails that name the company to look genuine.
Browser user agent detailsPersonal details that make scam messages more convincing.
IP addressesRoughly where you were when you used the service.
Website activityPersonal details that make scam messages more convincing.

What to do

  1. Check whether you’re in it.Search your email address on Have I Been Pwned. It tells you which breaches it appears in, BlankMediaGames among them, without showing the data.
  2. Change your BlankMediaGames password.If the account still exists, sign in at BlankMediaGames (blankmediagames.com) and change it.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Distrust messages that mention BlankMediaGames.Scammers use breach data to sound genuine. Don’t click links in emails or texts about the breach; go to the site yourself.

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:

See Breaches for all 618, and Updates for keeping your devices patched.

References

  1. ^ Troy Hunt. “BlankMediaGames”, Have I Been Pwned, added 2 Jan 2019. Breach data licensed CC BY 4.0.