Bell (2017 breach)
HIGH RISKData breach — May 2017
In May 2017, the Bell telecommunications company in Canada suffered a data breach resulting in the exposure of millions of customer records. The data was consequently leaked online with a message from the attacker stating that they were "releasing a significant portion of Bell.ca's data due to the fact that they have failed to cooperate with us" and included a threat to leak more. The impacted data included over 2 million unique email addresses and 153k survey results dating back to 2011 and 2012. There were also 162 Bell employee records with more comprehensive personal data including names, phone numbers and plain text "passcodes". Bell suffered another breach in 2014 which exposed 40k records.
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What happened in the Bell (2017 breach) data breach?
In May 2017, the Bell telecommunications company in Canada suffered a data breach resulting in the exposure of millions of customer records. The data was consequently leaked online with a message from the attacker stating that they were "releasing a significant portion of Bell.ca's data due to the fact that they have failed to cooperate with us" and included a threat to leak more. The impacted data included over 2 million unique email addresses and 153k survey results dating back to 2011 and 2012. There were also 162 Bell employee records with more comprehensive personal data including names, phone numbers and plain text "passcodes". Bell suffered another breach in 2014 which exposed 40k records.
The exposed data included 10 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 Bell (2017 breach) hacked?
Yes. Bell (2017 breach) was breached in May 2017. The breach exposed 2,231,256 records including email addresses, geographic locations, ip addresses. 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 Bell (2017 breach) breach so dangerous?
The Bell (2017 breach) breach exposed 2,231,256 records — that is 2.2M people whose personal data is now circulating on the dark web. The combination of email addresses, geographic locations, ip addresses makes this a high-risk breach that requires immediate action.
Because passwords were exposed, attackers can use credential stuffing to automatically test your Bell (2017 breach) 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 Bell (2017 breach) breach?
Email addresses — used for phishing attacks and credential stuffing against your other accounts
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
Job titles — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Names — used to build profiles and target you with personalised scams
Passwords — can be used to access your accounts directly or cracked to reveal your actual password
Phone numbers — enables SIM swapping attacks and targeted SMS phishing scams
Spoken languages — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Survey results — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Usernames — used to build profiles and target you with personalised scams
Is the Bell (2017 breach) breach still dangerous in 2026?
Yes. Stolen data from the Bell (2017 breach) 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 2017 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 Bell (2017 breach) 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 Bell (2017 breach) breach
Approximately 2,231,256 user records were exposed in the Bell (2017 breach) breach in May 2017.
Yes. Leaked credentials are actively used in credential stuffing attacks years after a breach. If you reused your Bell (2017 breach) 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 Bell (2017 breach) dataset and tell you instantly whether your email was exposed and what data was taken.
Change your Bell (2017 breach) 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 Bell (2017 breach) breach?
The Bell (2017 breach) data breach affected approximately 2,231,256 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 Bell (2017 breach) 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 Bell (2017 breach) breach
Change your Bell (2017 breach) password immediately
Go to Bell (2017 breach) 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 Bell (2017 breach) 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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