START Data Breach Exposed Over 44 Million Records in August 2022

In August 2022, START, a Russian streaming service popular for delivering movies and TV shows in the region, suffered a substantial data breach. This incident resulted in the exposure of more than 44 million records, seriously impacting its subscriber base. Leaked data included over 7.4 million unique email addresses along with sensitive information such as subscriber country location, full names, birthdates, phone numbers, IP addresses, and hashed passwords. The breach brought user privacy concerns to the forefront and highlighted the scale at which modern digital platforms are targeted. START promptly acknowledged the situation and clarified that the compromised records originated from data dating back to 2021.

What Happened in the START Breach?

The breach was reported in August 2022, involving unauthorized access to START’s user database. Malicious actors obtained a trove of sensitive records containing both personal and account-related information. It was confirmed that the exposed data was not from the most recent subscriber information but, in fact, from a dataset maintained in 2021.

Scope of the Breach

The breach affected a total of 43,937,128 records. Among the information compromised were:

• Email addresses (over 7.4 million unique)
• Full names, including first and last names
• Subscriber country details
• IP addresses
• Full birthdates
• Phone numbers
• Hashed passwords

The breadth of data exposed underscores the extensive reach of the breach and the variety of personal user information it contained.

Timeline of Events

START acknowledged the breach in August 2022 following the discovery of the leaked records circulating online. The company confirmed that the breached data was sourced from their 2021 database. While the exact method of the unauthorized access was not publicly detailed, the company did act to address the breach after becoming aware of the incident.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many users were affected by the START data breach?

The START breach exposed more than 44 million records, including over 7.4 million unique email addresses and extensive personal information.

What information was leaked in the START 2022 breach?

User data such as email addresses, full names, birthdates, country, phone numbers, IP addresses, and hashed passwords were all part of the leaked records.

When did the START breach happen?

The data breach was reported and acknowledged in August 2022, with the compromised records dating back to 2021.

Who was responsible for the START data breach?

Specific details about the attackers behind the START data breach have not been publicly released, and the breach remains attributed to unknown malicious actors.

How can I check if I'm in the START breach?

You can check if your information was part of the START breach by utilizing the DeHashed search engine.