Data breach · September 2013

Was I in the Win7Vista Forum breach?

Win7Vista Forum is a Windows user forum. Its breach happened in September 2013 and exposed 202,683 accounts. It included passwords, private messages, email addresses and instant messenger identities and 4 other kinds of detail. If you had an account there by September 2013, 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 Win7Vista Windows forum, later renamed Beyond Windows 9, was hacked in September 2013. Its internal database was later dumped. The dump held the personal details of many members and other internal forum data.

Organisation
Win7Vista Forum, a Windows user forum (win7vista.com)
When it happened
September 2013
Added to monitored breach databases
1 June 2014
Accounts in the data
202,683
What was exposed
passwords, private messages, email addresses, instant messenger identities, IP addresses (where you connected from), names, 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.

  • 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 detailsinstant messenger identities, IP addresses (where you connected from), names, 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 Win7Vista Forum 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 Win7Vista Forum 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 2013

All breaches Breaches from 2013 Breaches that exposed passwordsBreaches that exposed private messages