ClearVoice Surveys 2015 Data Breach
ObscureIQ Breach Intelligence
Low SeverityWebsite / service breach
ClearVoice Surveys Market Research Platform Breach (2015, Disclosed 2021): 17.6 Million Consumer Records Including DOB, Home Address & Passwords Exposed
Online survey and market research platform.
Verified by ObscureIQ Intelligence
34/100Breach Risk Index
10Data Value
25Market Recency
512dSince Breach
Breach Intelligence Summary
Entity: ClearVoice Surveys · Actor: Unknown · Sources: 8 references
Attack: Misconfiguration
Profile: Platform · Market research and consumer survey services · Survey and market research platform · USA
Timeline: Breach (2015-08-23) · Indexed (Dec 01, 2024) · Year (2015)
Exposure: 17.6M records · 8 fields: Date of Birth, Email Address, Full Name, Gender, IP Address, Password, Phone Number, Physical Address
Status: Confirmed
Executive Summary
ClearVoice Surveys, an online market research platform holding personal data on millions of survey panelists, suffered a breach when a 2015 database backup was taken and redistributed on a public hacking forum in April 2021. The exposure was the result of a misconfiguration that left the backup accessible. The company confirmed the breach and acknowledged the data was authentic. The leaked dataset contained more than 17 million rows of records, including approximately 15 million unique email addresses. The exposed data included names, email addresses, dates of birth, genders, phone numbers, physical addresses, IP addresses, and passwords stored in plain text. Plain text passwords are particularly dangerous because they can be used directly to access other accounts where people reuse the same credentials. The demographic depth of the records, combined with the nature of the platform, means the data could also reveal sensitive personal characteristics depending on which survey topics individuals had participated in, including health, financial, or political subjects. No settlement or regulatory enforcement action specific to this breach has been prominently documented. The six-year gap between the original data collection and its public exposure is a common pattern with stolen backup files, which often circulate privately before broader publication. Affected individuals face ongoing risks of phishing, credential stuffing, identity fraud, and targeted profiling based on the personal details exposed.
ObscureIQ assessment: Exposure enables phishing, fraud, and profiling based on survey responses and participation history. Depending on survey topics, the data may also reveal health, financial, political, or lifestyle vulnerabilities.
Breach Impact
In April 2021 a database backup from ClearVoice Surveys dating to 2015 was exposed and shared on a hacking forum. The company acknowledged the breach and confirmed the data was authentic. The exposed dataset contained approximately 17.6 million records including names, email addresses, dates of birth, genders, IP addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, and passwords. The six-year gap between the data's creation and its public exposure reflects the common pattern of stolen backup files circulating privately before broader publication. No settlement or regulatory enforcement action specific to this incident has been prominently documented.
About ClearVoice Surveys
ClearVoice Surveys is an online survey and market research platform that recruits consumer panelists to complete surveys in exchange for compensation. The company operates as a market research data collection service, holding personal profile information on millions of survey participants. It serves clients in consumer insights, advertising research, and market analysis.
Why They Hold Your Data
Survey and market-research platforms collect respondent identity, contact details, survey responses, panel participation history, and incentive or payment records across research workflows.
Recent Developments
ClearVoice Surveys continues to operate as a survey panel and market research platform. No major organizational changes have been publicly reported in the period surrounding or following the breach.
Data Points Exposed
8 verified field types
Date of Birth High
Email Address
Full Name High
Gender
IP Address
Password Critical
Phone Number
Physical Address High
Field names are shown in full for clarity and search visibility. Canonical machine keys are emitted only in this page’s structured data.
Exploitation & Downstream Threats
Threat Activity:Critical
Primary downstream threats:
- Credential stuffing against reused passwords across other platforms
- Identity verification bypass using name + date of birth combination
- SIM swap attacks where phone numbers are present
- Targeted phishing campaigns using exposed email addresses
- Doxxing risk from physical address exposure
Threat vectors:
- Identity verification bypass
- Phishing, credential stuffing & account takeover
- Name-based social engineering
- Profile enrichment
- Geolocation & account flagging
- Credential stuffing & account takeover
- SIM swapping, vishing & SMS phishing
- Physical stalking, mail fraud & identity verification
- Home targeting, stalking & physical threat
Recommended Actions
If you believe your information may be included:
Change Reused Passwords
Update this account and anywhere you reused the password; use a manager.
Enable MFA Everywhere
Turn on multi-factor authentication on email first, then financial accounts.
Report & Recover
If you spot misuse, start an official recovery plan and report fraud.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the ClearVoice Surveys breach?▾
ClearVoice Surveys, an online market research platform holding personal data on millions of survey panelists, suffered a breach when a 2015 database backup was taken and redistributed on a public hacking forum in April 2021. The exposure was the result of a misconfiguration that left the backup…
What data was exposed?▾
Verified fields include Date of Birth, Email Address, Full Name, Gender, IP Address, Password, Phone Number, Physical Address.
What should I do if I was affected?▾
Change reused passwords, enable MFA, and (if identity or financial data is involved) freeze your credit and monitor your accounts.
Sources & References
Every claim on this page is traceable. This breach draws on:
Breach Index
Breach Index
Cross-source
9ghz
Cross-source
BreachForums_Official_Index
Cross-source
Dehashed
Cross-source
Keeper
Cross-source
leakfind
ObscureIQ Intelligence
ObscureIQ proprietary analysis
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