Hackers claim Pornhub breach and threaten to leak data of Premium users

The hacking group ShinyHunters has claimed responsibility for stealing data belonging to Pornhub’s premium subscribers and has threatened to release the information publicly.

Reuters reports that the scale of the breach remains unclear. However, the hackers shared sample data with journalists, and portions of the information were verified as authentic.

At least three former premium subscribers, two from Canada and one from the United States, confirmed that the data belonged to them, although it appears to date back to an earlier period. The hackers are demanding a ransom in bitcoin in exchange for withholding publication and deleting the data. Pornhub and its parent company have not yet issued official statements.

Pornhub attracts around 100 million visitors per day. ShinyHunters claims it gained access to data associated with premium subscriptions, which offer HD video, ad-free viewing, and VR support. The group has not disclosed how the breach occurred.

Previously, Pornhub acknowledged an incident involving the third-party analytics service Mixpanel that may have affected some premium users. Mixpanel, for its part, said it found no evidence of a data breach resulting from the November incident and stated it could not confirm that any data was accessed through its systems.