HIGH RISK BREACH

GoldSilver Data Breach


Status: Confirmed

243K+Records
Oct, 2018Breach
12/27/18Data Posted
10/10Severity
HighThreat Level

Breach Intelligence Summary


Entity: GoldSilver · Actor: Unknown · Source: Have I Been Pwned / ObscureIQ intelligence

Attack: Data Exfiltration via Under investigation

Timeline: Breach (Oct, 2018) · Reported (Dec, 2018) · Leak (12/27/18)

Exposure: 243K+ records · Bank account numbers, Email, IP addresses, Names, Partial credit card data, Passport numbers, Phone numbers, Physical addresses, Purchases, Security questions and answers, Social security numbers

Status: Confirmed · Risk: High (Identity theft + Financial fraud)

Summary

In October 2018 the bullion education and dealer services site GoldSilver suffered a data breach that exposed 243k unique email addresses spanning customers and mailing list subscribers. An extensive amount of personal information on customers was obtained including names addresses phone numbers purchases and passwords and answers to security questions stored as MD5 hashes. In a small number of cases passport social security numbers and partial credit card data was also exposed. The data breach and source code belonging to GoldSilver was publicly posted on a dark web service where it remained months later. When notified about the incident, GoldSilver advised that “all affected customers have been directly notified”.

About GoldSilver

GoldSilver is the organization affected by this breach. User data may have been generated through account creation, service usage, or business operations.

If you have interacted with GoldSilver in any capacity, your data may be included in this breach.

Threat Actor: Unknown

The threat actor responsible for this breach has not been publicly identified or confirmed at this time.

Reported or suspected access method:
  • Under investigation

Breach Exploitation Status

Threat Activity:
High
Signal
Status
Dark web marketplace listings
Detected
Credential stuffing list overlap
Possible
Phishing campaign relevance
Detected
Ransomware affiliate crossover
Possible
Law enforcement investigation visibility
Unknown

Data Longevity:
Indefinite (critical identifiers)

SSNs and government IDs never expire. This data can be used for identity theft years or decades after exposure.

Data Points Exposed

Data observed in the leaked dataset:
Bank account numbers
Email
IP addresses
Names
Partial credit card data
Passport numbers
Phone numbers
Physical addresses
Purchases
Security questions and answers
Social security numbers
Not confirmed in dataset:
Passwords (plaintext)

Dark Web Verification

Status: Confirmed

  • Dataset containing approximately 243K+ records has been identified in breach intelligence sources.
  • The data is indexed and searchable across breach notification platforms.

Impact

This breach carries high risk due to the nature of exposed data fields and the scale of affected records.

Primary downstream threats include:
  • Targeted phishing referencing GoldSilver accounts or services
  • Identity theft using exposed Social Security Numbers
  • Financial fraud and unauthorized transactions
  • SIM-swap attempts where phone numbers are present
  • Physical mail scams and address-based identity verification fraud
  • Data broker enrichment and resale

Recommendations for Impacted Individuals

If you believe your information may be included:

Check Your Exposure
If you are an ObscureIQ client, this breach has been indexed into your exposure profile.
Non-clients may request a breach impact review.
Expect Targeted Phishing
Watch for messages referencing:
GoldSilver account updates
Financial transaction confirmations
Password reset requests
Verify directly through official channels.
Secure Your Email and MFA
Enable MFA immediately on email first, then financial platforms.
Email compromise is often the first pivot point.
Rotate Reused Passwords
Change any credentials shared with your GoldSilver account across other services.
Monitor Financial Accounts
Review bank statements, credit reports, and loan applications. Consider a credit freeze if SSN or financial data was exposed.
Suppress Personal Data
Remove exposed addresses, phone numbers, and enrichment data from broker networks and search engines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in the GoldSilver data breach?

In Oct, 2018, GoldSilver experienced a data breach that resulted in the exposure of approximately 243K+ records containing personal information.

What data was exposed in the GoldSilver breach?

The exposed data includes Bank account numbers, Email, IP addresses, Names, Partial credit card data, Passport numbers, Phone numbers, Physical addresses, Purchases, Security questions and answers, Social security numbers.

How many records were affected in the GoldSilver breach?

Approximately 243K+ records were affected based on current breach intelligence.

Is the GoldSilver breach confirmed?

Yes. This breach is treated as confirmed based on data observed in breach intelligence platforms.

Is the GoldSilver breach data being used by criminals?

Data circulation has been detected across breach-sharing channels. Downstream exploitation risk exists based on the nature of the exposed fields.

What should I do if I was affected by the GoldSilver breach?

Rotate passwords associated with GoldSilver, enable multi-factor authentication on email and financial accounts, and monitor for suspicious activity.

Protect Yourself

Check If You’re Affected

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Corporate Accountability

Organizations that collect personal data have a duty to implement reasonable safeguards and to notify affected individuals when breaches occur.

Scope assessments may evolve as investigations continue. Users should not rely solely on early estimates when making risk decisions.

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 GoldSilver
  • Or simply concerned about credential reuse

We can confirm whether your information is circulating and evaluate downstream threat vectors.

Services
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Classification Tags

Data Exfiltration
SSN
Financial Data
Government ID
Email
Phone
Address