Elance Data Breach
Status: Confirmed
Breach Intelligence Summary
Entity: Elance · Actor: Unknown · Source: DataBreach.com / ObscureIQ intelligence
Attack: Data Exfiltration via Under investigation
Timeline: Breach (Jan, 2009) · Reported (Feb, 2017) · Leak (2/12/25)
Exposure: 1.3M+ records · Email, Employers, Geographic locations, Password, Passwords, Phone numbers, Usernames
Status: Confirmed · Risk: Moderate (Account takeover + Phishing / SIM swap)
Summary
In January 2009 the staffing platform Elance suffered a major data breach that impacted roughly 1.3 million accounts. The compromised dataset contained a range of personal details including email addresses usernames phone numbers employers and geographic locations, along with passwords stored as SHA1 hashes.
About Elance
Elance 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 Elance 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.
- Under investigation
Breach Exploitation Status
Moderate
Status
Detected
Detected
Possible
Unknown
Unknown
1–3 years
Email addresses and usernames persist but credentials may rotate. Phishing risk remains elevated during this window.
Data Points Exposed
Dark Web Verification
Status: Confirmed
- Dataset containing approximately 1.3M+ 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 Elance accounts or services
- Credential stuffing against accounts sharing the same password
- SIM-swap attempts where phone numbers are present
- 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.
Elance account updates
Password reset requests
Verify directly through official channels.
Email compromise is often the first pivot point.
Frequently Asked Questions
In Jan, 2009, Elance experienced a data breach that resulted in the exposure of approximately 1.3M+ records containing personal information.
The exposed data includes Email, Employers, Geographic locations, Password, Passwords, Phone numbers, Usernames.
Approximately 1.3M+ 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 Elance, enable multi-factor authentication on email and financial accounts, and monitor for suspicious activity.
Protect Yourself
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High-Risk? Get an Exposure Audit
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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 Elance
- Or simply concerned about credential reuse
We can confirm whether your information is circulating and evaluate downstream threat vectors.