hackforums.net
HIGH RISKData breach — June 2011
In June 2011, the hacktivist group known as "LulzSec" leaked one final large data breach they titled "50 days of lulz". The compromised data came from sources such as AT&T, Battlefield Heroes and the hackforums.net website. The leaked Hack Forums data included credentials and personal information of nearly 200,000 registered forum users.
search Check if you were affected — freeData exposed in this breach
What happened in the hackforums.net data breach?
In June 2011, the hacktivist group known as "LulzSec" leaked one final large data breach they titled "50 days of lulz". The compromised data came from sources such as AT&T, Battlefield Heroes and the hackforums.net website. The leaked Hack Forums data included credentials and personal information of nearly 200,000 registered forum users.
The exposed data included 11 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 hackforums.net hacked?
Yes. hackforums.net was breached in June 2011. The breach exposed 191,540 records including dates of birth, email addresses, instant messenger identities. 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 hackforums.net breach so dangerous?
The hackforums.net breach exposed 191,540 records — that is a large number of compromised accounts. The combination of dates of birth, email addresses, instant messenger identities makes this a high-risk breach that requires immediate action.
Because passwords were exposed, attackers can use credential stuffing to automatically test your hackforums.net 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 hackforums.net 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
Instant messenger identities — 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
Passwords — can be used to access your accounts directly or cracked to reveal your actual password
Social connections — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Spoken languages — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Time zones — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
User website URLs — 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
Website activity — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Is the hackforums.net breach still dangerous in 2026?
Yes. Stolen data from the hackforums.net 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 2011 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 hackforums.net 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 hackforums.net breach
Approximately 191,540 user records were exposed in the hackforums.net breach in June 2011.
Yes. Leaked credentials are actively used in credential stuffing attacks years after a breach. If you reused your hackforums.net 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 hackforums.net dataset and tell you instantly whether your email was exposed and what data was taken.
Change your hackforums.net 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 hackforums.net breach?
The hackforums.net data breach affected approximately 191,540 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 hackforums.net 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 hackforums.net breach
Change your hackforums.net password immediately
Go to hackforums.net 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 hackforums.net 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.
searchCheck all my breaches — freeOther major breaches
Was my email hacked?
Check if your email is compromised in seconds. Free, private, no signup. Scan 12 billion+ records across 970+ known breaches.
search Check my email now — it's freeNo signup required · Results in under 5 seconds · Your data is never stored