Data breach — August 2019
In April 2021, a large data set of over 500 million Facebook users was made freely available for download. Encompassing approximately 20% of Facebook's subscribers, the data was allegedly obtained by exploiting a vulnerability Facebook advises they rectified in August 2019. The primary value of the data is the association of phone numbers to identities; whilst each record included phone, only 2.5 million contained an email address. Most records contained names and genders with many also including dates of birth, location, relationship status and employer.
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What happened in the Facebook data breach?
In April 2021, a large data set of over 500 million Facebook users was made freely available for download. Encompassing approximately 20% of Facebook's subscribers, the data was allegedly obtained by exploiting a vulnerability Facebook advises they rectified in August 2019. The primary value of the data is the association of phone numbers to identities; whilst each record included phone, only 2.5 million contained an email address. Most records contained names and genders with many also including dates of birth, location, relationship status and employer.
The exposed data included 8 types of personal information. Learn more about what a data breach means for you.
Quick answer — was Facebook hacked?
Yes. Facebook was breached in August 2019. The breach exposed 509,458,528 records including dates of birth, email addresses, employers. 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 Facebook breach so dangerous?
The Facebook breach exposed 509,458,528 records — that is 509.5M people whose personal data is now circulating on the dark web. The combination of dates of birth, email addresses, employers 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 Facebook breach?
Dates of birth — used to verify identity for account takeover and fraud
Email addresses — used for phishing attacks and credential stuffing against your other accounts
Employers — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
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
Names — used to build profiles and target you with personalised scams
Phone numbers — enables SIM swapping attacks and targeted SMS phishing scams
Relationship statuses — reveals your approximate location and internet provider
Is the Facebook breach still dangerous in 2026?
Yes. Stolen data from the Facebook 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 Facebook 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 Facebook breach
Approximately 509,458,528 user records were exposed in the Facebook breach in August 2019.
Yes. Leaked credentials are actively used in credential stuffing attacks years after a breach. If you reused your Facebook 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 Facebook dataset and tell you instantly whether your email was exposed and what data was taken.
Change your Facebook 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 Facebook breach?
The Facebook data breach affected approximately 509,458,528 users who had accounts with the service. With 509.5M records exposed, this is one of the larger breaches tracked in our database of 970+ known breaches.
If you ever created an account with Facebook 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 Facebook breach
Change your Facebook password immediately
Go to Facebook 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 Facebook 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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