HIGH SEVERITY

QuestionPro Data Breach

QuestionPro Survey Platform Exposure (2022): 22 Million Email Addresses :: Disputed, Some May Be Platform-Generated

Survey and research platform.

Verified by ObscureIQ Intelligence

6.5Severity
22.2MRecords
4Fields
2022Year

ObscureIQ Breach Intelligence Scores
0.5
Breach Risk Index
5
Data Value
10
Market Recency
1361
days
Since Breach

Risk Interpretation

Exposure enables phishing, research impersonation, and leakage of sensitive survey content. Depending on the surveys hosted, the breach may also expose health, HR, political, or customer-sentiment data.

🎯 Impact & Downstream Threats

In May 2022 QuestionPro received an extortion demand from a threat actor claiming to have extracted over 100GB of data including 22 million unique email addresses, IP addresses, browser user agents, and survey response data tied to platform users. QuestionPro acknowledged the extortion attempt and engaged cybersecurity investigators. The nature of the exposed data included survey interest and preference data generated through platform activity — records that reflect research participation rather

Primary downstream threats:
  • Targeted phishing campaigns using exposed email addresses

🔓 Threat Vectors

Phishing, credential stuffing & account takeover
Preference-targeted phishing
Geolocation & account flagging
Browser fingerprint reconstruction

📋 Breach Intelligence

EntityQuestionPro
OrganizationPrivate Company • USA / Global
Breach Date2022-05-01
HIBP Added2022-08-05
Records~22.2M (22,200,000 records)
Attack VectorUnknown
Data SubjectsUser
Breach PathwayDirect
SourceHave I Been Pwned / ObscureIQ
SensitivityStandard
Breach ID1114.0
StatusConfirmed

📝 Executive Summary

QuestionPro, a cloud-based survey and research platform serving businesses, academic institutions, and government organizations worldwide, was targeted in an extortion attempt in May 2022. A threat actor claimed to have extracted over 100GB of data from the platform and demanded payment. QuestionPro confirmed it received the extortion demand but did not confirm whether an actual breach had occurred. The dataset, which contained 22 million unique email addresses, was initially flagged as unverified. Subsequent verification by users who recognized their own data led analysts at Have I Been Pwned (HIBP), a service that tracks exposed credentials, to remove that flag. The exposed data includes email addresses, IP addresses, browser user agent strings (technical identifiers that describe a user's device and software), and survey response data generated through platform activity. Some email addresses appear to have been created by the platform itself rather than belonging to real individuals. The survey content is the most sensitive element. Depending on what research was hosted on the platform, responses could reflect health conditions, workplace opinions, political views, or customer sentiment, all tied back to identifiable users. This combination creates real risk for the people whose data appears in the dataset. No confirmed class-action litigation or regulatory enforcement specific to this incident has been documented publicly. Because the authenticity of the data remains disputed and some records may be platform-generated, affected individuals should treat this exposure with caution rather than certainty. Those whose email addresses appear in the dataset face elevated risk of targeted phishing and, if their survey responses were included, potential exposure of sensitive personal opinions or health-related information shared in a research context.

🏢 About QuestionPro

QuestionPro is a cloud-based survey and research platform used by businesses, academic institutions, and government organizations to design, distribute, and analyze surveys and data collection instruments. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and serves customers globally across market research, customer experience, workforce analytics, and academic research use cases.

Platform | Survey and research tools | SaaS data collection platform | Global
Private CompanyUSA / Globalquestionpro.com

🗂 Why They Hold Your Data

Survey and research platforms collect account data, respondent information, survey responses, billing records, and project metadata across data-collection workflows.

📰 Recent Developments

QuestionPro continues to operate as a private SaaS company in the survey and research tools market. No major organizational changes or significant business developments have been prominently reported in the period surrounding the breach.

🔍 Data Points Exposed

4 verified field types:
Browser user agent details
Email
IP addresses
Survey results

Canonical Fields

email_address, interest_and_preference_data, ip_address, user_agent

🌐 Dark Web Verification

Confirmed
  • Dataset containing ~22.2M records identified in breach intelligence sources
  • Data indexed and searchable across breach notification platforms
  • Source: QuestionPro Data Breach

🛡 Recommended Actions

⚠️ Do not assume this is low sensitivity.

1Freeze Your Credit
Place a credit freeze with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
2Expect Targeted Phishing
Watch for emails referencing this breach. Verify through official channels.
3Enable MFA Everywhere
Enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts.
4Monitor Accounts
Watch for unauthorized activity on financial and personal accounts.
5Check Your Exposure
ObscureIQ clients: this breach is indexed in your profile.

Protect Yourself

Check If You’re Affected

Enter your email to check if your data appears in this breach.

Get Free Breach Alerts

Be the first to know when new breaches are disclosed.

High-Risk? Get an Exposure Audit

Full-spectrum exposure audits for executives and public figures.

Request Consultation

ObscureIQ Advisory

We combine proprietary dark web access with commercial and restricted breach intelligence to verify exposure and assess real-world risk.

If you are:
  • A public-facing individual
  • A high-profile executive
  • A customer of QuestionPro
  • Or concerned about credential reuse
Services
AuditsWipesThreat MonitoringTraining

Classification Tags

Email

Powered by the ObscureIQ Breach Intelligence Database

© 2026 ObscureIQ · All Rights Reserved · Data Licensing

Latest from ObscureIQ

Credit

What Is Credit Monitoring? And Do I Want It? (Answer: Not Really)

July 14, 2025
Every time there’s a major data breach, companies scramble to offer “free” credit monitoring. It sounds like a responsible move.…
breach economycredit freezecredit scoreequifaxexperian
Credible Threats

Lock Down Browsers. Wipe Employee Footprints. Win Breach Wars.

September 2, 2025
Lock Down Browsers. Wipe Employee Footprints. Win Breach Wars. Over 80% of security incidents now start in the browser. Chrome.…
brave browserbreachesbrowser exploitbrowserschrome
Analysis

Sextortion Spam

May 10, 2025
Sextortion scams aren’t new, but they remain one of the most effective forms of cyber-enabled fraud. These scams don’t rely…
bitcoindeadlinefeargoogle maps apiransom