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Swvl data breach

From Breaches, in the HARD wiki · Updated
This article is about the June 2020 breach of Swvl. For every breach, see Breaches.

The Swvl data breach exposed 4,195,918 accounts from swvl.com in June 2020. The data taken includes passwords, partial credit card data, names and email addresses and 2 more kinds of data.[1]

Have I Been Pwned verified it and added it to its search on 31 Jul 2020, 1 month later. It is the 225th largest of the 618 breaches in HARD’s list.

What was exposed

Swvl’s breach included 6 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.
Partial credit card dataNot enough to spend, but enough to make a fake call from your bank convincing.
NamesMakes scam messages personal enough to believe.
Email addressesExpect scam emails that name the company to look genuine.
Phone numbersExpect scam texts and calls, and a higher risk of someone moving your number to their SIM.
Profile photosPersonal 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, Swvl among them, without showing the data.
  2. Change your Swvl password.If the account still exists, sign in at Swvl (swvl.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 Swvl.Scammers use breach data to sound genuine. Don’t click links in emails or texts about the breach; go to the site yourself.
  6. 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.
  7. Watch your statements.Report anything you don’t recognise to your bank, and ask for a new card if full card numbers leaked.

Timeline

  • : the breach, as best it can be dated.
  • : Have I Been Pwned verifies the data and adds it to its search, 1 month later.

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. “Swvl”, Have I Been Pwned, added 31 Jul 2020. Breach data licensed CC BY 4.0.