Pinterest, the popular image-sharing platform with over 518 million monthly active users, faces a potential data leak that could affect millions of users. A hacker known as “Tchao1337” has allegedly leaked a database containing 60 million rows of Pinterest user data on a popular data leak forum.
The breach details
The leaked database, which reportedly contains 6 million records, has been compressed to a file size of 1.59 gigabytes. While the full extent of the exposed information is unknown, the leaked data includes email addresses, usernames, user IDs, and IP addresses.
The first and most obvious action is changing your Pinterest password and the related email address. Knowing even a few of your details can allow hackers to piece together information and cause you major difficulties.
Of course, you know not to use the same password for many things, right? If you are guilty of that cardinal sin, change your password everywhere and use one of the best password organizers to create a safe password that you will not forget. Use two-factor authentication to provide maximum security.
Stay cautious: Phishing
If your data has been hacked, you are likely to become the victim of other phishing efforts. Be cautious when clicking dodgy links, and not simply in messages on your Pinterest account.
When using your email account, use caution; any communication that does not appear to come from a known source may be a hoax. Attachments should be treated with caution since they could contain malware.
One of the best VPNs might help you protect yourself from phishing frauds. Nord and Surfshark offer built-in anti-virus with their memberships, while Nord's Threat Protection Pro product is a proven anti-phishing champion.
Currently, Pinterest has not issued an official statement regarding the reported hack. The Cyber Press team has contacted Pinterest to warn them of the data leak and is awaiting their response.
If proven, this data leak might have serious ramifications for Pinterest. The company may incur significant operating costs in investigating the hack and alerting affected users.
As the issue evolves, users should actively check their accounts and look for any formal statements from Pinterest regarding the potential data loss.
Be careful while sharing your data
The greatest method to avoid becoming a victim of a data breach is to use extreme caution while disclosing your personal information. Give websites only what they need; having a VPN enabled prevents many trackers and encrypts your data on both ends, preventing hackers from making sense of it. VPN services frequently have zero-logs policies, which means hackers have nothing to work with.
