Data breaches in 2012

The public breach catalog records 20 breaches dated 2012, exposing about 491M accounts. 20 of them (100%) included passwords. The data type exposed most often was email addresses, found in 20 breaches.

2011 had 18 recorded breaches exposing about 151M accounts.

Largest breaches

  • LinkedIn: 2012-05-05, 165M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • VK: 2012-01-01, 93M accounts, Email addresses, Names, Passwords, Phone numbers
  • Dropbox: 2012-07-01, 69M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • Netlog: 2012-11-01, 49M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • Last.fm: 2012-03-22, 37M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords, Usernames, Website activity
  • Taobao: 2012-01-01, 21M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • Disqus: 2012-07-01, 18M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords, Usernames
  • Gamigo: 2012-03-01, 8.2M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • Heroes of Newerth: 2012-12-17, 8.1M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords, Usernames
  • Xiaomi: 2012-08-01, 7.1M accounts, Email addresses, IP addresses, Passwords, Usernames

What was exposed most often

Every breach dated 2012

  • LinkedIn: 2012-05-05, 165M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • VK: 2012-01-01, 93M accounts, Email addresses, Names, Passwords, Phone numbers
  • Dropbox: 2012-07-01, 69M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • Netlog: 2012-11-01, 49M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • Last.fm: 2012-03-22, 37M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords, Usernames, Website activity
  • Taobao: 2012-01-01, 21M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • Disqus: 2012-07-01, 18M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords, Usernames
  • Gamigo: 2012-03-01, 8.2M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • Heroes of Newerth: 2012-12-17, 8.1M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords, Usernames
  • Xiaomi: 2012-08-01, 7.1M accounts, Email addresses, IP addresses, Passwords, Usernames
  • 126: 2012-01-01, 6.4M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • JobStreet: 2012-03-07, 3.9M accounts, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Genders, Geographic locations, Government issued IDs, Marital statuses
  • BookCrossing: 2012-11-05, 1.6M accounts, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Geographic locations, IP addresses, Names, Passwords
  • YouPorn: 2012-02-21, 1.3M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • Lookbook: 2012-08-24, 1.1M accounts, Dates of birth, Email addresses, IP addresses, Names, Passwords, Usernames
  • War Inc.: 2012-07-04, 1.0M accounts, Email addresses, Passwords, Usernames, Website activity
  • Yahoo: 2012-07-11, 453K accounts, Email addresses, Passwords
  • League of Legends: 2012-06-11, 339K accounts, Email addresses, Passwords, Usernames
  • WHMCS: 2012-05-21, 134K accounts, Email addresses, Email messages, Employers, IP addresses, Names, Partial credit card data
  • The Botting Network: 2012-08-12, 96K accounts, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Passwords, Usernames

Frequently asked questions

How many data breaches were there in 2012?

The public breach catalog records 20 breaches dated 2012, exposing about 491M accounts. The number keeps rising for recent years because breaches are often disclosed long after they happen.

What was the biggest data breach of 2012?

LinkedIn, with about 165M accounts, is the largest breach dated 2012 in this directory.

Were passwords leaked in 2012 breaches?

20 of the 20 breaches dated 2012 (100%) included passwords. If you had an account with any of them, change that password and anywhere you reused it.

Breach data sourced from Have I Been Pwned, used under CC BY 4.0. Additional breach metadata provided by XposedOrNot. DataExposed is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.