HIGH SEVERITYStreaming

YouNow Data Breach

Verified by ObscureIQ Intelligence

6.5Severity
18.2MRecords
5Data Fields
2019Year

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:
  • Targeted phishing campaigns using exposed email addresses
  • Social media account targeting and impersonation

Breach Intelligence

EntityYouNow
OrganizationPrivate Company • USA
Breach DateFebruary 2019
Disclosure43664.0
Records Exposed~18.2M
Attack VectorMisconfiguration
SourceHave I Been Pwned / DataBreach.com / ObscureIQ intelligence
StatusConfirmed

Executive Summary

In February 2019, data from the live broadcasting service YouNow appeared for sale on a dark web marketplace. Whilst it's not clear what date the actual breach occurred on, the impacted data included 18M unique email addresses, IP addresses, names, usernames and links to social media profiles. As authentication is performed via social providers, no passwords were exposed in the breach. Many records didn't have associated email addresses thus the unique number is lower than the reported total number of accounts.

About YouNow

Live streaming platform.

Private CompanyUSAyounow.com

Data Points Exposed

Verified fields in the released dataset:
Email addresses
Full names
IP addresses
Social media profiles
Usernames

Dark Web Verification

Status: Confirmed

  • Dataset containing approximately 18.2M 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.

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 YouNow data breach?

In February 2019, YouNow experienced a data breach that exposed approximately 18.2M records containing personal information.

What data was exposed?

The exposed data includes fields such as email address, full name, ip address, social media profile, username.

How many records were affected?

Approximately 18.2M records were affected based on current breach intelligence.

Protect Yourself

Check If You’re Affected

Enter your email to check if your data appears in this breach.

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High-Risk? Get an Exposure Audit

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Request Consultation

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 YouNow
  • Or concerned about credential reuse
Services
AuditsWipesThreat MonitoringTraining

Classification Tags

MisconfigurationStreamingEmail

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