ELEVATED RISK BREACH

Exactis Data Breach


Status: Confirmed

131.6M+Records
Jun, 2018Breach
12/1/24Data Posted
7/10Severity
ModerateThreat Level

Breach Intelligence Summary


Entity: Exactis · Actor: Unknown · Source: DataBreach.com / ObscureIQ intelligence

Attack: Data Exfiltration via Under investigation

Timeline: Breach (Jun, 2018) · Reported (Jul, 2018) · Leak (12/1/24)

Exposure: 131.6M+ records · Credit status information, Dates of birth, Education levels, Email, Ethnicities, Family structure, Financial investments, Genders, Home Address, Home ownership statuses, IP Address, IP addresses, Income levels, Marital statuses, Name, Names, Net worths, Occupations, Personal interests, Phone numbers, Physical addresses, Religions, Spoken languages

Status: Confirmed · Risk: Moderate (Phishing / SIM swap)

Summary

In June 2018 the marketing firm Exactis accidentally exposed a vast database containing personal information. Security researcher Vinny Troia discovered the leak which included extensive profiling data collected for marketing purposes.

About Exactis

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

Data Longevity:
5+ years (high persistence)

Dates of birth are permanent and addresses change slowly. Combined with other fields, this data sustains long-tail targeting risk.

Data Points Exposed

Data observed in the leaked dataset:
Credit status information
Dates of birth
Education levels
Email
Ethnicities
Family structure
Financial investments
Genders
Home Address
Home ownership statuses
IP Address
IP addresses
Income levels
Marital statuses
Name
Names
Net worths
Occupations
Personal interests
Phone numbers
Physical addresses
Religions
Spoken languages
Not confirmed in dataset:
Passwords (plaintext)
Social Security Numbers
Payment card data

Dark Web Verification

Status: Confirmed

  • Dataset containing approximately 131.6M+ 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.

Primary downstream threats include:
  • Targeted phishing referencing Exactis accounts or services
  • SIM-swap attempts where phone numbers are present
  • Physical mail scams and address-based identity verification fraud
  • Age/DOB used to bypass identity verification questions
  • 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:
Exactis account updates
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 Exactis account across other services.
Monitor Financial Accounts
Monitor accounts associated with your exposed email for unauthorized activity.
Suppress Personal Data
Remove exposed addresses, phone numbers, and enrichment data from broker networks and search engines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in the Exactis data breach?

In Jun, 2018, Exactis experienced a data breach that resulted in the exposure of approximately 131.6M+ records containing personal information.

What data was exposed in the Exactis breach?

The exposed data includes Credit status information, Dates of birth, Education levels, Email, Ethnicities, Family structure, Financial investments, Genders, Home Address, Home ownership statuses, IP Address, IP addresses, Income levels, Marital statuses, Name, Names, Net worths, Occupations, Personal interests, Phone numbers, Physical addresses, Religions, Spoken languages.

How many records were affected in the Exactis breach?

Approximately 131.6M+ records were affected based on current breach intelligence.

Is the Exactis breach confirmed?

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

Is the Exactis 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 Exactis breach?

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

Protect Yourself

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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 Exactis
  • Or simply concerned about credential reuse

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

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Classification Tags

Data Exfiltration
Email
Phone
Address