ApexSMS
MEDIUM RISKData breach — April 2019
In May 2019, news broke of a massive SMS spam operation known as "ApexSMS" which was discovered after a MongoDB instance of the same name was found exposed without a password. The incident leaked over 80M records with 23M unique email addresses alongside names, phone numbers and carriers, geographic locations (state and country), genders and IP addresses.
search Check if you were affected — freeData exposed in this breach
What happened in the ApexSMS data breach?
In May 2019, news broke of a massive SMS spam operation known as "ApexSMS" which was discovered after a MongoDB instance of the same name was found exposed without a password. The incident leaked over 80M records with 23M unique email addresses alongside names, phone numbers and carriers, geographic locations (state and country), genders and IP addresses.
The exposed data included 7 types of personal information. Learn more about what a data breach means for you.
Quick answer — was ApexSMS hacked?
Yes. ApexSMS was breached in April 2019. The breach exposed 23,246,481 records including email addresses, genders, geographic locations. This breach has been independently verified. If your email was involved, your data may still be at risk today. Check if you were affected.
Why was the ApexSMS breach so dangerous?
The ApexSMS breach exposed 23,246,481 records — that is 23.2M people whose personal data is now circulating on the dark web. The combination of email addresses, genders, geographic locations makes this a medium-risk breach that should be addressed promptly.
Don't wait to find out — check if your email was exposed in this breach now.
What data was stolen in the ApexSMS breach?
Email addresses — used for phishing attacks and credential stuffing against your other accounts
Genders — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Geographic locations — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
IP addresses — combined with other data, used for identity theft and physical fraud
Names — used to build profiles and target you with personalised scams
Phone numbers — enables SIM swapping attacks and targeted SMS phishing scams
Telecommunications carrier — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Is the ApexSMS breach still dangerous in 2026?
Yes. Stolen data from the ApexSMS 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 2019 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 ApexSMS 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 ApexSMS breach
Approximately 23,246,481 user records were exposed in the ApexSMS breach in April 2019.
Yes. Leaked credentials are actively used in credential stuffing attacks years after a breach. If you reused your ApexSMS 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 ApexSMS dataset and tell you instantly whether your email was exposed and what data was taken.
Change your ApexSMS 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 ApexSMS breach?
The ApexSMS data breach affected approximately 23,246,481 users who had accounts with the service. With 23.2M records exposed, this is one of the larger breaches tracked in our database of 970+ known breaches.
If you ever created an account with ApexSMS 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 ApexSMS breach
Change your ApexSMS password immediately
Go to ApexSMS 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 ApexSMS 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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