Data breach · September 2016

Was I in the ClixSense breach?

ClixSense is a paid-to-click website. Its breach happened in September 2016 and exposed 2,424,784 accounts. It included passwords, account balances, payment histories and dates of birth and 8 other kinds of detail. If you had an account there by September 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?

In September 2016 the site was breached and the attackers posted subscriber data online, saying it was only part of a bigger haul. The leak held names, home, IP and email addresses, genders, birth dates, the balance of each account and passwords in plain text.

Organisation
ClixSense, a paid-to-click website (clixsense.com)
When it happened
September 2016
Added to monitored breach databases
11 September 2016
Accounts in the data
2,424,784
What was exposed
passwords, account balances, payment histories, dates of birth, home addresses, email addresses, genders, IP addresses (where you connected from), names, payment methods, usernames and website activity
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.

  • Bank and money detailsaccount balances and payment histories

    Account numbers, balances and payment history let a scam call or email quote facts that only your bank should know.

  • Identity detailsdates of birth and home addresses

    A date of birth and a home address are what a lender asks for when someone opens credit in your name. They do not change, so they stay useful to a fraudster for years.

  • 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 detailsgenders, IP addresses (where you connected from), names, payment methods, usernames and website activity

    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 ClixSense 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. Tell your bank and watch the account

  • Watch your statements for payments you did not make, and tell your bank about the breach.
  • If someone calls quoting your account details, hang up and call the bank on the number you already have.

3. In the US: freeze your credit at all three bureaus

  • Place a credit freeze with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. It is free to place and to lift, and it does not affect your credit score.
  • If you would rather not freeze, a fraud alert lasts one year. You ask one bureau and it tells the other two.
  • If someone uses your details, report it at IdentityTheft.gov to get a recovery plan.

4. In Canada: check your credit file and lock it

  • Get your credit report from Equifax Canada and TransUnion Canada. Both give it free online.
  • In Ontario, both bureaus must offer a security freeze free of charge, and each bureau is a separate request.
  • If you live in Quebec or Ontario, Equifax Canada will lock your credit report at no charge, online, by phone or by mail. Ask TransUnion Canada separately.
  • If your details are used to open an account, call your bank, report it to both bureaus, report it to your local police and get a file number, then report it to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (1-888-495-8501).

5. 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 home addressesBreaches that exposed dates of birthBreaches that exposed bank and money details