Flashback
MEDIUM RISKData breach — February 2015
In February 2015, the Swedish forum known as Flashback had sensitive internal data on 40k members published via the tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet. The data was allegedly sold to them via Researchgruppen (The Research Group) who have a history of exposing otherwise anonymous users, primarily those who they believe participate in "troll like" behaviour. The compromised data includes social security numbers, home and email addresses.
search Check if you were affected — freeData exposed in this breach
What happened in the Flashback data breach?
In February 2015, the Swedish forum known as Flashback had sensitive internal data on 40k members published via the tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet. The data was allegedly sold to them via Researchgruppen (The Research Group) who have a history of exposing otherwise anonymous users, primarily those who they believe participate in "troll like" behaviour. The compromised data includes social security numbers, home and email addresses.
The exposed data included 3 types of personal information. Learn more about what a data breach means for you.
Quick answer — was Flashback hacked?
Yes. Flashback was breached in February 2015. The breach exposed 40,256 records including email addresses, government issued ids, physical 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 Flashback breach so dangerous?
The Flashback breach exposed 40,256 records — that is a large number of compromised accounts. The combination of email addresses, government issued ids, physical addresses 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 Flashback breach?
Email addresses — used for phishing attacks and credential stuffing against your other accounts
Government issued IDs — enables full identity theft including fraudulent credit applications
Physical addresses — combined with other data, used for identity theft and physical fraud
Is the Flashback breach still dangerous in 2026?
Yes. Stolen data from the Flashback 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 2015 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 Flashback 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 Flashback breach
Approximately 40,256 user records were exposed in the Flashback breach in February 2015.
Yes. Leaked credentials are actively used in credential stuffing attacks years after a breach. If you reused your Flashback 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 Flashback dataset and tell you instantly whether your email was exposed and what data was taken.
Change your Flashback 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 Flashback breach?
The Flashback data breach affected approximately 40,256 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 Flashback 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 Flashback breach
Change your Flashback password immediately
Go to Flashback 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 Flashback 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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