HIGH SEVERITYMusic

Last.fm Data Breach

Verified by ObscureIQ Intelligence

7.5Severity
43.6MRecords
4Data Fields
2012Year

Impact & Downstream Threats

This breach carries high risk due to the nature of exposed data fields and the scale of affected records.

Primary downstream threats:
  • Credential stuffing against reused passwords across other platforms
  • Targeted phishing campaigns using exposed email addresses

Breach Intelligence

EntityLast.fm
OrganizationPrivate Company • UK
Breach DateMarch 2012
DisclosureDecember 2024
Records Exposed~43.6M
Attack VectorMisconfiguration
SourceHave I Been Pwned / DataBreach.com / ObscureIQ intelligence
StatusConfirmed

Executive Summary

In March 2012, the music website Last.fm was hacked and 43 million user accounts were exposed. Whilst Last.fm knew of an incident back in 2012, the scale of the hack was not known until the data was released publicly in September 2016. The breach included 37 million unique email addresses, usernames and passwords stored as unsalted MD5 hashes.

About Last.fm

Music tracking and recommendation service.

Private CompanyUKlast.fm

Data Points Exposed

Verified fields in the released dataset:
Email addresses
Passwords
Usernames

Dark Web Verification

Status: Confirmed

  • Dataset containing approximately 43.6M records identified in breach intelligence sources.
  • The data is indexed and searchable across breach notification platforms.

Recommended Actions

⚠️ Do not assume this is low sensitivity.

Change Passwords
Change your Last.fm password immediately and any account sharing similar credentials.
Expect Targeted Phishing
Watch for emails referencing this breach. Verify communications through official channels.
Secure Email & Enable MFA
Email compromise is often the first pivot point. Enable multi-factor authentication.
Monitor Financial Accounts
Watch for unauthorized credit applications and suspicious activity.
Check Your Exposure
ObscureIQ clients: this breach is indexed in your profile.
Non-clients may request a breach impact review.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in the Last.fm data breach?

In March 2012, Last.fm experienced a data breach that exposed approximately 43.6M records containing personal information.

What data was exposed?

The exposed data includes fields such as activity history:website activity, email address, password, username.

How many records were affected?

Approximately 43.6M records were affected based on current breach intelligence.

Protect Yourself

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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 Last.fm
  • Or concerned about credential reuse
Services
AuditsWipesThreat MonitoringTraining

Classification Tags

MisconfigurationMusicEmailPasswords

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