Fotolog 2018 Data Breach
ObscureIQ Breach Intelligence
Low SeverityWebsite / service breach
Fotolog Photo-Sharing Social Network Breach (2018): 500K User Accounts Including Passwords Exposed
Photo blogging social network.
Verified by ObscureIQ Intelligence
23/100Breach Risk Index
5Data Value
25Market Recency
584dSince Breach
Breach Intelligence Summary
Entity: Fotolog · Actor: GnosticPlayers · Sources: 6 references
Attack: Unknown
Profile: Platform · Photo sharing and blogging · Social media platform (legacy) · Global
Timeline: Breach (2018-12-01) · Indexed (Dec 01, 2024) · Year (2018)
Exposure: 500K records · 3 fields: Email Address, Password, Username
Status: Confirmed
Executive Summary
In December 2018, the photo-sharing network Fotolog suffered a data breach exposing 16.7 million unique email addresses along with usernames and passwords stored as unsalted SHA-256 hashes. The data surfaced in 2019 as part of the multi-site collection sold by the actor known as GnosticPlayers.
ObscureIQ assessment: Exposure enables account takeover, harassment, and deanonymization. Historic photos and profile activity can also resurface old identities, relationships, and personal content users assumed was forgotten.
Breach Impact
Unsalted SHA-256 hashes are vulnerable to cracking at scale, exposing reused email/password pairs to credential-stuffing attacks across other services.
About Fotolog
Fotolog was a photo-sharing social network, historically popular in Latin America and Europe, where users posted daily photos and interacted with a large community.
Why They Hold Your Data
Legacy photo-sharing platforms collect user accounts, emails, usernames, photos, comments, and social-engagement history tied to personal publishing and online identity.
Recent Developments
Fotolog largely declined and shut down over the years. The breached data later circulated within a large dark-web collection of compromised sites.
Data Points Exposed
3 verified field types
Email Address
Password Critical
Username
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:Moderate
Primary downstream threats:
- Credential stuffing against reused passwords across other platforms
- Targeted phishing campaigns using exposed email addresses
Threat vectors:
- Phishing, credential stuffing & account takeover
- Credential stuffing & account takeover
- Cross-platform tracking & credential stuffing
Threat Actor: GnosticPlayers
GnosticPlayers
Unknown
Attribution and method are based on available breach intelligence. Reported attack vector: Unknown.
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 Fotolog breach?▾
In December 2018, the photo-sharing network Fotolog suffered a data breach exposing 16.7 million unique email addresses along with usernames and passwords stored as unsalted SHA-256 hashes. The data surfaced in 2019 as part of the multi-site collection sold by the actor known as GnosticPlayers.
What data was exposed?▾
Verified fields include Email Address, Password, Username.
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
Keeper
ObscureIQ Intelligence
ObscureIQ proprietary analysis
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