HIGH SEVERITYCybersecurityData

IntelligenceX Data Breach

IntelligenceX Open-Source Intelligence Paste Scrape (2021): 92 Million Indexed Email Addresses Exposed

Data indexing and intelligence search platform.

Verified by ObscureIQ Intelligence

6.5Severity
92.6MRecords
1Fields
2021Year

ObscureIQ Breach Intelligence Scores
1.3
Breach Risk Index
5
Data Value
25
Market Recency
469
days
Since Breach

Risk Interpretation

Exposure can reveal investigative interest, target selection, and user behavior patterns. This creates phishing risk, operational-security risk, and possible retaliation against researchers or investigators.

🎯 Impact & Downstream Threats

In approximately August 2021 an attacker scraped the "Pastes" section of the Intelligence X platform by enumerating searches using common email domains, harvesting approximately 92.6 million email addresses that had appeared in paste content indexed by the service. The irony of a breach intelligence platform appearing in a breach intelligence dataset was noted in security community coverage. Intelligence X characterized the incident as scraping of publicly indexed content rather than a compromis

Primary downstream threats:
  • Targeted phishing campaigns using exposed email addresses

🔓 Threat Vectors

Phishing, credential stuffing & account takeover

📋 Breach Intelligence

EntityIntelligenceX (Intelligence X)
OrganizationPrivate Company • Australia / Global
Breach Date2021-01-01
DBC Added2025-01-13
Added Date2025-01-13
Records~92.6M (92,628,985 records)
Attack VectorUnknown
Data SubjectsUser
Breach PathwayDirect
SourceDataBreach.com / ObscureIQ
SensitivityStandard
Breach ID704.0
StatusConfirmed

📝 Executive Summary

Intelligence X, the investigative search and archival platform operating at intelx.io, was targeted by a scraping attack in approximately August 2021. An attacker harvested data from the platform's publicly indexed "Pastes" section by running systematic searches across common email domains and exporting the results. The scraped archive contained over 80,000 pastes drawn from pastebin.com, pastie.org, and skidpaste.org, yielding approximately 92.6 million records and 46 million unique email addresses. Intelligence X characterized the incident as scraping of publicly indexed content rather than a breach of its core systems. The exposed data consisted of email addresses only, many appearing within email and password combolists or small databases that had been posted to paste sites. No passwords or additional personal information were confirmed as part of the scraped output. However, for the platform's user base of security researchers, journalists, and intelligence professionals, even email exposure carries distinct risks. Knowing who uses a breach intelligence tool can reveal investigative interests, active cases, or professional affiliations, making affected users potential targets for phishing, social engineering, or retaliation. No regulatory action or litigation specific to this incident has been publicly documented. Affected individuals should be alert to phishing attempts and review any accounts tied to exposed email addresses for signs of unauthorized access. Those working in sensitive investigative or security roles should consider whether their professional email exposure creates operational security concerns.

🏢 About IntelligenceX

Intelligence X, operating at intelx.io, is a search engine and archival platform used by security researchers, journalists, investigators, and intelligence professionals to search leaked datasets, historical web content, and indexed records including WHOIS data and paste content. The platform aggregates and indexes material that has entered the public domain through breaches and leaks, making it searchable for investigative and threat intelligence purposes.

Platform | Data indexing and search services | Open-source intelligence platform | Global
Private CompanyAustralia / Globalintelx.io

🗂 Why They Hold Your Data

OSINT and data-indexing platforms collect user accounts, searches, subscriptions, API activity, and in some cases investigation-linked behavioral records tied to intelligence gathering and data discovery.

📰 Recent Developments

Intelligence X continues to operate as a threat intelligence and research platform. It has maintained its role as a tool for open-source intelligence work. No major organizational changes have been publicly reported.

🔍 Data Points Exposed

1 verified field types:
Email

Canonical Fields

email_address

🌐 Dark Web Verification

Confirmed
  • Dataset containing ~92.6M records identified in breach intelligence sources
  • Data indexed and searchable across breach notification platforms
  • Source: intelligence-x-pastes-scrape-2021

🛡 Recommended Actions

⚠️ Do not assume this is low sensitivity.

1Freeze Your Credit
Place a credit freeze with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
2Expect Targeted Phishing
Watch for emails referencing this breach. Verify through official channels.
3Enable MFA Everywhere
Enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts.
4Monitor Accounts
Watch for unauthorized activity on financial and personal accounts.
5Check Your Exposure
ObscureIQ clients: this breach is indexed in your profile.

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If you are:
  • A public-facing individual
  • A high-profile executive
  • A customer of IntelligenceX
  • Or concerned about credential reuse
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Classification Tags

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