Data breach · December 2016

Was I in the Biohack.me breach?

Biohack.me is a biohacking website forum. Its breach happened in December 2016 and exposed 3,402 accounts. It included passwords, private messages, email addresses and usernames. If you had an account there by December 2016, check your address below to see whether it is one of them.

Breach record last updated . Steps read from the government pages at the foot of this page.

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01

What happened?

The forum of the biohacking site was breached in December 2016 and accounts were exposed. Usernames, email addresses, hashed passwords and members' private messages were taken. The site's operators reported the breach themselves.

Organisation
Biohack.me, a biohacking website forum (biohack.me)
When it happened
December 2016
Added to monitored breach databases
23 August 2017
Accounts in the data
3,402
What was exposed
passwords, private messages, email addresses and usernames

The breach record cites a public report on forum.biohack.me.

02

What was exposed, and what does it mean for me?

  • Your passwordpasswords

    The password for this account was in the data, either as written or in a stored form that can often be reversed when the password is short or common. Anyone with the list can try it on your email, bank and shopping accounts.

  • Messages you wroteprivate messages

    Private messages can hold personal details, and their exposure can be used to pressure or embarrass you.

  • Your email addressemail addresses

    Expect messages that look like they come from this service or another one you use, written to get you to click a link or sign in on a fake page.

  • Other detailsusernames

    On their own these carry less risk, but they make a scam message sound more personal.

03

What should I do now?

In this order, for what this breach exposed.

1. Change the password, and every reuse of it

  • Change your Biohack.me password if the account still exists. Then change the same password on every other account where you used it, starting with your email.
  • Use a different password for each account. A password manager makes that practical: it creates long passwords and remembers them for you.
  • Turn on a second sign-in step, such as a code from an app or a security key, for your email, bank and social accounts. Your email comes first, because every password reset goes to it.

2. Assume your messages can be read

  • Think about what you wrote on Biohack.me and who it names. Warn anyone whose details you shared.
  • If someone threatens to publish what you wrote unless you pay, do not pay. Keep the messages and report it to your local police.

3. Expect phishing

  • Be wary of messages that urge you to act fast, ask for personal details, or link to an address that is slightly off.
  • If a message might be genuine, do not use its links or phone numbers. Go to the site by typing its address yourself.
04

Is my address in it?

Enter your email address. We check that one address against monitored breach databases and show which breaches list it and what each exposed.

No account needed. We keep the address you check, when, and how many breach records it was found in, to prevent abuse, until you ask us to delete it. Privacy

Sources

Where does this come from?

Other breaches from 2016

All breaches Breaches from 2016 Breaches that exposed passwordsBreaches that exposed private messages