CafePress Data Breach
Status: Confirmed
Breach Intelligence Summary
Entity: CafePress · Actor: Unknown · Source: DataBreach.com / ObscureIQ intelligence
Attack: Credential Compromise via Compromised credentials
Timeline: Breach (Feb, 2019) · Reported (Aug, 2019) · Leak (12/1/24)
Exposure: 23.6M+ records · Email, Home Address, Name, Names, Password, Passwords, Phone Number, Phone numbers, Physical addresses
Status: Confirmed · Risk: Moderate (Account takeover + Phishing / SIM swap)
Summary
CaféPress-the custom-merchandise marketplace acquired by Snapfish only months earlier-suffered a quiet but consequential intrusion in mid-February 2019 when attackers slipped past weak perimeter defenses and copied a user database containing roughly 23 million records. The cache which surfaced for sale on darknet forums that summer ultimately totaled 23 579 964 rows and dated back years of customer activity. Security researchers who analyzed the leak found that e-mail addresses full names home addresses and phone numbers were stored in plaintext while passwords were merely obscured with the long-deprecated unsalted SHA-1 hash. Even more troubling the dump included millions of unencrypted security questions and answers more than 180 000 Social Security numbers and tens of thousands of partial payment-card details-enough information to enable credential-stuffing identity-theft and socially engineered fraud at scale. CaféPress kept the incident under wraps for months quietly forcing password resets in late July but offering customers no explanation until after news outlets and the “Have I Been Pwned” service broke the story on 5 August 2019. The company’s belated notice minimized both the attack vector and the sensitivity of the stolen data a stance that drew sharp criticism from security professionals and privacy advocates. Regulators took a dim view of the delay and the underlying security lapses. In March 2022 the U.S. Federal Trade Commission filed a complaint alleging CaféPress had failed to employ reasonable safeguards ignored multiple warning signs of compromise and misrepresented its data-protection practices. The resulting consent order required the company’s former owner to pay $500 000 in consumer redress implement a comprehensive information-security program subject to biennial audits and purge unnecessary personal data retained in its systems. The FTC has since mailed more than 20 000 restitution checks to users whose Social Security numbers were exposed, underscoring regulators’ growing willingness to extract cash penalties-even for breaches that fall outside HIPAA or industry-specific statutes-when companies both neglect basic cyber-hygiene and stall on disclosure.
About CafePress
CafePress 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 CafePress 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.
- Compromised credentials
Breach Exploitation Status
Moderate
Status
Detected
Detected
Possible
Unknown
Unknown
3–5 years
Phone numbers and addresses change over time but remain valid long enough for sustained exploitation campaigns.
Data Points Exposed
Dark Web Verification
Status: Confirmed
- Dataset containing approximately 23.6M+ records has been identified in breach intelligence sources.
- The data is indexed and searchable across breach notification platforms.
Impact
This breach carries moderate risk due to the nature of exposed data fields and the scale of affected records.
- Targeted phishing referencing CafePress accounts or services
- Credential stuffing against accounts sharing the same password
- 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:
Non-clients may request a breach impact review.
CafePress account updates
Password reset requests
Verify directly through official channels.
Email compromise is often the first pivot point.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Feb, 2019, CafePress experienced a data breach that resulted in the exposure of approximately 23.6M+ records containing personal information.
The exposed data includes Email, Home Address, Name, Names, Password, Passwords, Phone Number, Phone numbers, Physical addresses.
Approximately 23.6M+ records were affected based on current breach intelligence.
Yes. This breach is treated as confirmed based on data observed in breach intelligence platforms.
Data circulation has been detected across breach-sharing channels. Downstream exploitation risk exists based on the nature of the exposed fields.
Rotate passwords associated with CafePress, enable multi-factor authentication on email and financial accounts, and monitor for suspicious activity.
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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.
- A public-facing individual
- A high-profile executive
- A customer of CafePress
- Or simply concerned about credential reuse
We can confirm whether your information is circulating and evaluate downstream threat vectors.
