VKontakte (VK), Russia's largest social network, had personal data belonging to over 369 million users exposed in September 2024 when a threat actor known as HikkI-Chan published a 27.6 GB dataset online. The breach pathway was not a system intrusion. Instead, the data appears to have been harvested through automated web scraping, a technique that collects information already visible on public-facing profile pages. VK denied that any security breach had occurred, stating that no confidential information had been accessed and that its internal systems remained intact. The exposed data consisted of users' full names linked to their VK accounts. While names alone may appear low-risk, at a scale of 369 million records they become a meaningful asset for profiling. Attackers can cross-reference names against other leaked datasets to build richer profiles, identify individuals across platforms, or target them with phishing attempts and harassment. The sheer volume of the dataset amplifies these risks considerably. VK has not issued detailed public statements confirming the incident or describing a formal response. Because VK operates under Russian jurisdiction, Western breach notification frameworks do not apply, and there is no documented regulatory action. The dataset was independently verified by security researchers and added to Have I Been Pwned, giving affected users one avenue to check their exposure. People whose names appear in the dataset should be alert to unsolicited contact, suspicious login attempts, and any messages that reference personal details they did not knowingly share.

Social-network platforms collect user identity, contact details, messages, social graphs, posts, media uploads, and engagement records tied to messaging and social-media workflows.

VK has operated under sustained western sanctions and geopolitical pressure following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, limiting its partnerships and investment options in European and American markets. The company has continued expanding domestic Russian digital services and has been associated with compliance with Russian state data localization laws. International growth has effectively stalled. No major structural or ownership changes have been reported in the most recent period.