Gravatar
MEDIUM RISKData breach — October 2020
In October 2020, a security researcher published a technique for scraping large volumes of data from Gravatar, the service for providing globally unique avatars . 167 million names, usernames and MD5 hashes of email addresses used to reference users' avatars were subsequently scraped and distributed within the hacking community. 114 million of the MD5 hashes were cracked and distributed alongside the source hash, thus disclosing the original email address and accompanying data. Following the impacted email addresses being searchable in HIBP, Gravatar release an FAQ detailing the incident.
search Check if you were affected — freeData exposed in this breach
What happened in the Gravatar data breach?
In October 2020, a security researcher published a technique for scraping large volumes of data from Gravatar, the service for providing globally unique avatars . 167 million names, usernames and MD5 hashes of email addresses used to reference users' avatars were subsequently scraped and distributed within the hacking community. 114 million of the MD5 hashes were cracked and distributed alongside the source hash, thus disclosing the original email address and accompanying data. Following the impacted email addresses being searchable in HIBP, Gravatar release an FAQ detailing the incident.
The exposed data included 3 types of personal information. Learn more about what a data breach means for you.
Quick answer — was Gravatar hacked?
Yes. Gravatar was breached in October 2020. The breach exposed 113,990,759 records including email addresses, names, usernames. 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 Gravatar breach so dangerous?
The Gravatar breach exposed 113,990,759 records — that is 114.0M people whose personal data is now circulating on the dark web. The combination of email addresses, names, usernames 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 Gravatar 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
Usernames — used to build profiles and target you with personalised scams
Is the Gravatar breach still dangerous in 2026?
Yes. Stolen data from the Gravatar 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 2020 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 Gravatar 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 Gravatar breach
Approximately 113,990,759 user records were exposed in the Gravatar breach in October 2020.
Yes. Leaked credentials are actively used in credential stuffing attacks years after a breach. If you reused your Gravatar 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 Gravatar dataset and tell you instantly whether your email was exposed and what data was taken.
Change your Gravatar 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 Gravatar breach?
The Gravatar data breach affected approximately 113,990,759 users who had accounts with the service. With 114.0M records exposed, this is one of the larger breaches tracked in our database of 970+ known breaches.
If you ever created an account with Gravatar 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 Gravatar breach
Change your Gravatar password immediately
Go to Gravatar 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 Gravatar 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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