Animoto 2018 Data Breach
ObscureIQ Breach Intelligence
Low SeverityWebsite / service breach
Animoto Cloud Video Creation Platform Breach (2018): 22 Million User Accounts Including Passwords & DOB Exposed
Cloud-based video creation service.
Verified by ObscureIQ Intelligence
34/100Breach Risk Index
10Data Value
25Market Recency
512dSince Breach
Breach Intelligence Summary
Entity: Animoto · Actor: Unknown · Sources: 7 references
Attack: Misconfiguration
Profile: Company · Online video creation and editing tools · Cloud-based video creation platform · USA
Timeline: Breach (2018-07-10) · Indexed (Dec 01, 2024) · Year (2018)
Exposure: 25.4M records · 5 fields: Date of Birth, Email Address, Full Name, Geographic Location, Password
Status: Confirmed
Executive Summary
Animoto, a cloud-based video creation platform used by millions of consumers and small businesses, suffered a data breach in July 2018 due to a misconfiguration that exposed approximately 25 million user records. The breach was discovered to have resulted in stolen data being placed for sale on dark web markets. No external attacker group has been publicly attributed. The exposed data included email addresses, full names, dates of birth, geographic locations, and salted password hashes. That combination is particularly sensitive: dates of birth paired with passwords increase the risk of account takeover, and the profile is detailed enough to support targeted phishing or impersonation attacks against affected individuals and their businesses. Animoto notified affected users and forced password resets following the breach. No class-action settlement or regulatory enforcement action has been publicly documented in connection with this incident. Affected users who reused their Animoto password on other accounts remain at risk of credential-based attacks and should treat any account sharing that password as compromised.
ObscureIQ assessment: Primary risks include password reuse, account takeover, and phishing. Project and branding context may also support impersonation or business-targeted scams.
Breach Impact
In July 2018 Animoto suffered a breach exposing approximately 25 million user records including email addresses, names, dates of birth, geographic locations, and salted password hashes. The data was subsequently placed for sale on dark web markets. Animoto notified affected users and initiated password resets. No class-action settlement or regulatory action specific to this breach has been prominently documented in public sources.
About Animoto
Animoto is a cloud-based video creation service that allows users to produce slideshow-style videos from photos, video clips, and music. The platform serves both consumers and businesses and is used for social media content, marketing, and personal projects. It operates on a subscription model with free and paid tiers and has been used by millions of individuals and small businesses globally.
Why They Hold Your Data
Cloud-based creative platforms collect user accounts, emails, passwords, payment-adjacent data, and project-related records tied to video creation and publishing workflows.
Recent Developments
Animoto continues to operate as a video creation platform. The company has faced increasing competition from video creation tools embedded in social media platforms and broader design tools. No major organizational changes have been prominently reported in the recent period.
Data Points Exposed
5 verified field types
Date of Birth High
Email Address
Full Name High
Geographic Location
Password Critical
Field names are shown in full for clarity and search visibility. Canonical machine keys are emitted only in this page’s structured data.
Exploitation & Downstream Threats
Threat Activity:Critical
Primary downstream threats:
- Credential stuffing against reused passwords across other platforms
- Identity verification bypass using name + date of birth combination
- Targeted phishing campaigns using exposed email addresses
- Doxxing risk from physical address exposure
Threat vectors:
- Identity verification bypass
- Phishing, credential stuffing & account takeover
- Name-based social engineering
- Pattern-of-life analysis & physical surveillance
- Credential stuffing & account takeover
Recommended Actions
If you believe your information may be included:
Change Reused Passwords
Update this account and anywhere you reused the password; use a manager.
Enable MFA Everywhere
Turn on multi-factor authentication on email first, then financial accounts.
Report & Recover
If you spot misuse, start an official recovery plan and report fraud.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in the Animoto breach?▾
Animoto, a cloud-based video creation platform used by millions of consumers and small businesses, suffered a data breach in July 2018 due to a misconfiguration that exposed approximately 25 million user records. The breach was discovered to have resulted in stolen data being placed for sale on…
What data was exposed?▾
Verified fields include Date of Birth, Email Address, Full Name, Geographic Location, Password.
What should I do if I was affected?▾
Change reused passwords, enable MFA, and (if identity or financial data is involved) freeze your credit and monitor your accounts.
Sources & References
Every claim on this page is traceable. This breach draws on:
Breach Index
Breach Index
Cross-source
9ghz
Cross-source
BreachForums_Official_Index
Cross-source
Dehashed
Cross-source
leakfind
ObscureIQ Intelligence
ObscureIQ proprietary analysis
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