Duolingo
MEDIUM RISKData breach — January 2023
In August 2023, 2.6M records of data scraped from Duolingo were broadly distributed on a popular hacking forum. Obtained by enumerating a vulnerable API, the data had earlier appeared for sale in January 2023 and contained email addresses, names, the languages being learned, XP (experience points), and other data related to learning progress on Duolingo. Whilst some of the data attributes are intentionally public, the ability to map private email addresses to them presents an ongoing risk to user privacy.
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What happened in the Duolingo data breach?
In August 2023, 2.6M records of data scraped from Duolingo were broadly distributed on a popular hacking forum. Obtained by enumerating a vulnerable API, the data had earlier appeared for sale in January 2023 and contained email addresses, names, the languages being learned, XP (experience points), and other data related to learning progress on Duolingo. Whilst some of the data attributes are intentionally public, the ability to map private email addresses to them presents an ongoing risk to user privacy.
The exposed data included 4 types of personal information. Learn more about what a data breach means for you.
Quick answer — was Duolingo hacked?
Yes. Duolingo was breached in January 2023. The breach exposed 2,676,696 records including email addresses, names, spoken languages. 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 Duolingo breach so dangerous?
The Duolingo breach exposed 2,676,696 records — that is 2.7M people whose personal data is now circulating on the dark web. The combination of email addresses, names, spoken languages 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 Duolingo breach?
Email addresses — used for phishing attacks and credential stuffing against your other accounts
Names — used to build profiles and target you with personalised scams
Spoken languages — 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 Duolingo breach still dangerous in 2026?
Yes. Stolen data from the Duolingo 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 2023 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 Duolingo 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 Duolingo breach
Approximately 2,676,696 user records were exposed in the Duolingo breach in January 2023.
Yes. Leaked credentials are actively used in credential stuffing attacks years after a breach. If you reused your Duolingo 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 Duolingo dataset and tell you instantly whether your email was exposed and what data was taken.
Change your Duolingo 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 Duolingo breach?
The Duolingo data breach affected approximately 2,676,696 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 Duolingo 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 Duolingo breach
Change your Duolingo password immediately
Go to Duolingo 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 Duolingo 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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