ELEVATED RISK BREACH

Zoosk Data Breach


Status: Confirmed

26.6M+Records
Jan, 2020Breach
Aug, 2020Data Posted
6/10Severity
ModerateThreat Level

Breach Intelligence Summary


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

Attack: Data Exfiltration via Under investigation

Timeline: Breach (Jan, 2020) · Reported (Aug, 2020) · Leak (Aug, 2020)

Exposure: 26.6M+ records · Account Balance, Dates of birth, Drinking habits, Education levels, Email, Ethnicities, Family structure, Genders, Geographic locations, Income levels, Name, Names, Nicknames, Physical attributes, Political views, Relationship statuses, Religion, Religions, Sexual Orientation, Sexual orientations, Smoking habits

Status: Confirmed · Risk: Moderate (Credential reuse / phishing)

Summary

In January 2020 Zoosk experienced a data breach that was widely distributed in online hacking communities exposing personal information and allegedly MD5 password hashes.

About Zoosk

Zoosk 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 Zoosk 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
Unknown
Phishing campaign relevance
Possible
Ransomware affiliate crossover
Unknown
Law enforcement investigation visibility
Unknown

Data Longevity:
1–3 years

Email addresses and usernames persist but credentials may rotate. Phishing risk remains elevated during this window.

Data Points Exposed

Data observed in the leaked dataset:
Account Balance
Dates of birth
Drinking habits
Education levels
Email
Ethnicities
Family structure
Genders
Geographic locations
Income levels
Name
Names
Nicknames
Physical attributes
Political views
Relationship statuses
Religion
Religions
Sexual Orientation
Sexual orientations
Smoking habits
Not confirmed in dataset:
Passwords (plaintext)
Social Security Numbers
Payment card data

Dark Web Verification

Status: Confirmed

  • Dataset containing approximately 26.6M+ 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 Zoosk accounts or services
  • 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:
Zoosk 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 Zoosk 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 Zoosk data breach?

In Jan, 2020, Zoosk experienced a data breach that resulted in the exposure of approximately 26.6M+ records containing personal information.

What data was exposed in the Zoosk breach?

The exposed data includes Account Balance, Dates of birth, Drinking habits, Education levels, Email, Ethnicities, Family structure, Genders, Geographic locations, Income levels, Name, Names, Nicknames, Physical attributes, Political views, Relationship statuses, Religion, Religions, Sexual Orientation, Sexual orientations, Smoking habits.

How many records were affected in the Zoosk breach?

Approximately 26.6M+ records were affected based on current breach intelligence.

Is the Zoosk breach confirmed?

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

Is the Zoosk 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 Zoosk breach?

Rotate passwords associated with Zoosk, 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 Zoosk
  • 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