126
HIGH RISKData breach — January 2012
In approximately 2012, it's alleged that the Chinese email service known as 126 suffered a data breach that impacted 6.4 million subscribers. Whilst there is evidence that the data is legitimate, due to the difficulty of emphatically verifying the Chinese breach it has been flagged as "unverified". The data in the breach contains email addresses and plain text passwords. Read more about Chinese data breaches in Have I Been Pwned.
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What happened in the 126 data breach?
In approximately 2012, it's alleged that the Chinese email service known as 126 suffered a data breach that impacted 6.4 million subscribers. Whilst there is evidence that the data is legitimate, due to the difficulty of emphatically verifying the Chinese breach it has been flagged as "unverified". The data in the breach contains email addresses and plain text passwords. Read more about Chinese data breaches in Have I Been Pwned.
The exposed data included 2 types of personal information. Because passwords were exposed, users who reused their password on other sites are at particular risk. Learn more about what a data breach means for you.
Quick answer — was 126 hacked?
Yes. 126 was breached in January 2012. The breach exposed 6,414,191 records including email addresses, passwords. If your email was involved, your data may still be at risk today. Check if you were affected.
Why was the 126 breach so dangerous?
The 126 breach exposed 6,414,191 records — that is 6.4M people whose personal data is now circulating on the dark web. The combination of email addresses, passwords makes this a high-risk breach that requires immediate action.
Because passwords were exposed, attackers can use credential stuffing to automatically test your 126 password against hundreds of other websites. If you reused your password anywhere, those accounts are now at risk. Read more about what happens to your data after a breach.
Don't wait to find out — check if your email was exposed in this breach now.
What data was stolen in the 126 breach?
Email addresses — used for phishing attacks and credential stuffing against your other accounts
Passwords — can be used to access your accounts directly or cracked to reveal your actual password
Is the 126 breach still dangerous in 2026?
Yes. Stolen data from the 126 breach remains dangerous years after the incident. Research shows that over 65% of stolen credentials from older breaches have never been changed by the account holders. Attackers routinely compile data from multiple breaches to build complete profiles, and credentials from 2012 are still actively used in credential stuffing attacks today.
Personal information like email addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth never expire. Even if you changed your 126 password, the other exposed data can be combined with information from other breaches to target you. Learn more about how long stolen data stays dangerous.
Frequently asked about the 126 breach
Approximately 6,414,191 user records were exposed in the 126 breach in January 2012.
Yes. Leaked credentials are actively used in credential stuffing attacks years after a breach. If you reused your 126 password elsewhere and haven't changed it, those accounts remain at risk today.
Enter your email in the free checker on EmailLeaked. We scan 12 billion+ breach records including the full 126 dataset and tell you instantly whether your email was exposed and what data was taken.
Change your 126 password immediately, change any other account where you used the same password, enable two-factor authentication on all important accounts, and monitor for phishing emails over the next 90 days.
Who was affected by the 126 breach?
The 126 data breach affected approximately 6,414,191 users who had accounts with the service. While not the largest breach on record, it still represents a significant number of compromised accounts in our database of 970+ known breaches.
If you ever created an account with 126 or used their services, your data may have been included in this breach. Check your email now to find out. You can also read our guide on what to do immediately after a data breach.
If your email was in the 126 breach
Change your 126 password immediately
Go to 126 and change your password right now. Use a strong, unique password that you have never used anywhere else.
Change any account sharing that password
If you used the same password on other sites, change it on every one of them. Attackers test stolen credentials on hundreds of popular sites within hours.
Enable two-factor authentication
Turn on 2FA on 126 and every important account. Even if your password is known, attackers cannot get in without the second factor.
Check your other accounts for this breach
Run a full email check to see every breach your email appears in — not just this one.
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