Playbook
HIGH RISKData breach — October 2020
In September 2021, a publicly accessible PostgresSQL database belonging to the Playbook service was identified. Run by VC firm Plug and Play Ventures, the database had been exposed since October 2020 and contained more than 50 thousand unique email addresses along with names, phone numbers, job titles and passwords stored as PBKDF2 hashes. It took more than 2 weeks after being notified of the exposed data to properly secure it. It's unknown whether Plug and Play Ventures notified impacted individuals as they ceased responding to queries from the press.
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What happened in the Playbook data breach?
In September 2021, a publicly accessible PostgresSQL database belonging to the Playbook service was identified. Run by VC firm Plug and Play Ventures, the database had been exposed since October 2020 and contained more than 50 thousand unique email addresses along with names, phone numbers, job titles and passwords stored as PBKDF2 hashes. It took more than 2 weeks after being notified of the exposed data to properly secure it. It's unknown whether Plug and Play Ventures notified impacted individuals as they ceased responding to queries from the press.
The exposed data included 6 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 Playbook hacked?
Yes. Playbook was breached in October 2020. The breach exposed 50,538 records including email addresses, job titles, names. 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 Playbook breach so dangerous?
The Playbook breach exposed 50,538 records — that is a large number of compromised accounts. The combination of email addresses, job titles, names makes this a high-risk breach that requires immediate action.
Because passwords were exposed, attackers can use credential stuffing to automatically test your Playbook 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 Playbook breach?
Email addresses — used for phishing attacks and credential stuffing against your other accounts
Job titles — 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
Passwords — can be used to access your accounts directly or cracked to reveal your actual password
Phone numbers — enables SIM swapping attacks and targeted SMS phishing scams
Social media profiles — may be combined with other breach data to build a profile for targeted attacks
Is the Playbook breach still dangerous in 2026?
Yes. Stolen data from the Playbook 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 Playbook 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 Playbook breach
Approximately 50,538 user records were exposed in the Playbook breach in October 2020.
Yes. Leaked credentials are actively used in credential stuffing attacks years after a breach. If you reused your Playbook 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 Playbook dataset and tell you instantly whether your email was exposed and what data was taken.
Change your Playbook 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 Playbook breach?
The Playbook data breach affected approximately 50,538 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 Playbook 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 Playbook breach
Change your Playbook password immediately
Go to Playbook 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 Playbook 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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