Mumbai, December 17: The notorious cybercriminal group "ShinyHunters" claimed on Tuesday to have breached the databases of sex website Pornhub, the world’s leading adult content platform. The group alleges it has stolen approximately 94GB of data containing over 200 million records belonging to the site’s "Premium" subscribers, sparking significant privacy and extortion concerns for millions of Pornhub users worldwide.

While the full scale of the breach remains under investigation, early reports suggest the stolen information includes highly sensitive behavioral data, such as search histories, video viewing habits, and download logs.

Verification of the Breach

The claims first surfaced via the cybersecurity news site Bleeping Computer, which reported that the hackers had begun sending extortion demands to Pornhub. To support their claims, ShinyHunters provided a sample of the data to several news outlets. Coupang Data Breach: E-Commerce Giant Admits Personal Information of 33.7 Million Customers Compromised, Says Report.

Reporters were able to partially authenticate the leak. At least three former Pornhub Premium customers, located in the United States and Canada, confirmed to Reuters that the sample data pertaining to them was accurate, though some of the records appeared to be several years old. The victims spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the sensitive and potentially embarrassing nature of the information.

Conflict Over the Source of the Leak

The origin of the data has become a point of contention between Pornhub and its service providers. In a statement issued on December 12, Pornhub disclosed that a security incident at third-party analytics provider Mixpanel had exposed "a limited set of analytics events" for some Premium users.

Pornhub emphasized that its own core systems were not breached and that financial information, such as credit card details and passwords, remain secure. However, Mixpanel has publicly disputed this narrative. Maisie Williams aka Arya Stark Shares NSFW Skinny-Dipping Video and Pic From Italian Getaway: Why Instagram’s Anti-Nudity Guidelines Let the Viral Post Stay.

A spokesperson for Mixpanel stated the company found "no indication" that the data originated from its systems, noting that Pornhub had not used its services since 2021. Mixpanel further alleged that the data was last accessed by a legitimate employee account at Pornhub’s parent company in 2023, suggesting the breach may have occurred elsewhere.

What Is ShinyHunters?

The ShinyHunters group is a well-known entity in the cybercrime world, previously linked to massive data thefts involving companies like Microsoft, AT&T, and Salesforce. They typically operate by exfiltrating large databases and demanding cryptocurrency ransoms - specifically Bitcoin - to prevent the public release of the information.

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