Nitro 2020 Data Breach
ObscureIQ Breach Intelligence
Low SeverityWebsite / service breach
Nitro PDF Document Platform Breach (2020): 70 Million User Accounts Including Document Titles Exposed
Document productivity software company.
Verified by ObscureIQ Intelligence
12/100Breach Risk Index
5Data Value
10Market Recency
1924dSince Breach
Breach Intelligence Summary
Entity: Nitro · Actor: Unknown · Sources: 6 references
Attack: Misconfiguration
Profile: Platform · Document productivity and PDF tools · SaaS software platform · Global
Timeline: Breach (2020-09-28) · Indexed (Jan 19, 2021) · Year (2020)
Exposure: 77.2M records · 4 fields: Email Address, Full Name, IP Address, Password
Status: Confirmed
Executive Summary
Nitro, a document productivity and PDF software company, suffered a data breach in September 2020 that exposed records tied to over 77 million user accounts. The breach stemmed from a misconfiguration and affected databases linked to Nitro's free online services. Nitro stated that its desktop software, Nitro Pro, and its analytics product were not involved. The exposed data included email addresses, names, bcrypt password hashes, and the titles of documents users had converted through the platform. The inclusion of document titles is an unusual detail. Those titles can reveal the nature of sensitive business, legal, or personal files, giving attackers context that goes beyond standard credential theft. Bcrypt hashing offers some protection for passwords, but the combination of email addresses, names, and document metadata still creates meaningful risk for affected users and their organizations. No widely reported regulatory actions or enforcement proceedings stemmed from the breach. The data was later shared with the breach notification service Have I Been Pwned through dehashed.com. Affected users should treat their Nitro account credentials as compromised, change any reused passwords, and stay alert to phishing attempts that may reference document-related activity, as attackers could use the exposed metadata to craft convincing, targeted messages.
ObscureIQ assessment: Exposure enables account takeover, phishing, business impersonation, and document-themed scams. Even limited metadata can help attackers target organizations using document workflows.
Breach Impact
The 2020 Nitro breach exposed a very large SaaS account dataset tied primarily to Nitro’s free online products rather than its core desktop PDF software. HIBP says 77.2 million accounts were affected and included email addresses, names, bcrypt password hashes, and titles of converted documents, while Nitro’s own public incident note said the impacted databases were used mainly for online services and that Nitro Pro and Nitro Analytics were not affected. That still made the breach highly useful for credential stuffing, phishing, identity linkage, and document-context targeting because even document titles can reveal sensitive business or personal activity.
About Nitro
Nitro is a document productivity software company focused on PDF editing, e-signature workflows, and enterprise document automation. It positions itself as a lower-friction alternative to Adobe-style document tooling, with products spanning PDF, eSign, APIs, and newer AI-assisted workflow features for business users.
Why They Hold Your Data
Document productivity platforms collect user accounts, emails, document metadata, billing records, and collaboration activity tied to PDF creation, editing, signing, and workflow automation.
Recent Developments
Nitro remains an active document-workflow software company and has recently emphasized AI, enterprise workflows, and channel expansion. Its recent public announcements highlight the Nitro Sign API, Smart Redact for regulated industries, a Canva partnership, expanded distribution in Europe, and multiple 2025 to 2026 product releases focused on automation and document workflow modernization.
Data Points Exposed
4 verified field types
Email Address
Full Name High
IP Address
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:High
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
- Name-based social engineering
- Geolocation & account flagging
- 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 Nitro breach?▾
Nitro, a document productivity and PDF software company, suffered a data breach in September 2020 that exposed records tied to over 77 million user accounts. The breach stemmed from a misconfiguration and affected databases linked to Nitro's free online services. Nitro stated that its desktop…
What data was exposed?▾
Verified fields include Email Address, Full Name, IP Address, 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
Keeper
ObscureIQ Intelligence
ObscureIQ proprietary analysis
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