Nexus Mods 2013 Data Breach
ObscureIQ Breach Intelligence
Low SeverityWebsite / service breach
Nexus Mods Game Modding Platform Breach (2013, Disclosed 2015): 5.9 Million Modder Accounts Exposed
Gaming mod hosting platform.
Verified by ObscureIQ Intelligence
8/100Breach Risk Index
3Data Value
10Market Recency
3825dSince Breach
Breach Intelligence Summary
Entity: Nexus Mods · Actor: Unknown · Sources: 9 references
Attack: Credential Theft
Profile: Platform · Video game modifications and downloads · Gaming content platform · Global
Timeline: Breach (2013-07-22) · Indexed (Jan 17, 2016) · Year (2013)
Exposure: 5.9M records · 3 fields: Email Address, Password, Username
Status: Confirmed
Executive Summary
A Nexus Mods database dated to July 2013 was disclosed in December 2015 after circulating among criminal traders. The attacker compromised three mod-author accounts protected by very weak passwords and used them to upload malware to Nexus Mods servers, extracting a partial database of 5,915,013 records. Exposed data included usernames, email addresses, and passwords stored as salted hashes with their salts. No financial data was included.
ObscureIQ assessment: Exposure enables account takeover, harassment, and phishing. Download and modding history can also help attackers profile gamers and creators or distribute malicious lookalike files.
Breach Impact
Salted hashes slowed but did not prevent password recovery for weak credentials, exposing reused email/password pairs to credential-stuffing risk on other services.
About Nexus Mods
Nexus Mods is a long-running online platform for hosting and distributing user-created game modifications, serving a large community of players and mod authors across many PC game titles.
Why They Hold Your Data
Gaming content platforms collect user accounts, emails, usernames, passwords, download history, upload activity, and community participation tied to game-mod distribution.
Recent Developments
Nexus Mods has continued to operate and grow as a leading modding hub. Payment processing is handled externally via PayPal, so no financial data resided in the affected database.
Data Points Exposed
3 verified field types
Email Address
Password Critical
Username
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:Moderate
Primary downstream threats:
- Credential stuffing against reused passwords across other platforms
- Targeted phishing campaigns using exposed email addresses
Threat vectors:
- Phishing, credential stuffing & account takeover
- Credential stuffing & account takeover
- Cross-platform tracking & credential stuffing
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 Nexus Mods breach?▾
A Nexus Mods database dated to July 2013 was disclosed in December 2015 after circulating among criminal traders. The attacker compromised three mod-author accounts protected by very weak passwords and used them to upload malware to Nexus Mods servers, extracting a partial database of 5,915,013…
What data was exposed?▾
Verified fields include Email Address, Password, Username.
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
DataViper.io
Cross-source
Keeper
Cross-source
LeakBase.pw
Cross-source
leakfind
ObscureIQ Intelligence
ObscureIQ proprietary analysis
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