MediaWorks data breach
From Breaches, in the HARD wiki · Updated
This article is about the March 2023 breach of MediaWorks. For every breach, see Breaches.
The MediaWorks data breach exposed 162,710 accounts from mediaworks.co.nz in March 2023. The data taken includes dates of birth, physical addresses, email addresses, phone numbers and genders.[1]
Have I Been Pwned verified it and added it to its search on 22 Mar 2024, 12 months later. It is the 556th largest of the 618 breaches in HARD’s list.
What was exposed
MediaWorks’s breach included 5 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. |
| Physical addresses | Used to prove who you are, and for scam letters and parcels. |
| 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. |
| Genders | 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, MediaWorks among them, without showing the data.
- Distrust messages that mention MediaWorks.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.
- Freeze your credit.In the US, free at Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. In Australia, ask Equifax, Experian and illion for a ban. No one can open credit in your name while it’s on.
Timeline
- : the breach, as best it can be dated.
- : Have I Been Pwned verifies the data and adds it to its search, 12 months later.
Breaches often stay hidden for a long time. Until it came out, people in it had no reason to change anything.
Similar breaches
Breaches that leaked the same kinds of data, closest in time:
- Angel One, April 2023, 6.8 million accounts
- Dymocks, June 2023, 836,120 accounts
- Hot Topic, October 2024, 57 million accounts
- Neiman Marcus, April 2024, 31 million accounts
- TAP Air Portugal, August 2022, 6.1 million accounts
- SurveyLama, February 2024, 4.4 million accounts
See Breaches for all 618, and Updates for keeping your devices patched.
References
- ^ Troy Hunt. “MediaWorks”, Have I Been Pwned, added 22 Mar 2024. Breach data licensed CC BY 4.0.
External links
- Have I Been Pwned, to check your email address
- mediaworks.co.nz, MediaWorks’s website