Truecaller India Data Breach Exposes Millions of User Records in February 2019

In February 2019, Truecaller India, the popular caller identification and spam-blocking app, suffered a massive data breach that resulted in the exposure of sensitive personal information for approximately 147 million users. Initially, there was some dispute about the origin of the leaked data, but analysis showed the details closely matched public profiles held within the Truecaller app. Among the types of compromised information were users’ phone numbers, full names, genders, locations, job titles, company affiliations, email addresses, websites, and even Facebook and Twitter usernames. The scale and diversity of the data left many users in India and around the world concerned about potential misuse of their details.

What Happened in the Truecaller India Breach?

The breach was identified in February 2019 when a substantial database containing the profile details of Truecaller users began circulating on various forums. Cybersecurity researchers quickly determined the dataset's contents closely mirrored the unique combination of data Truecaller collects, including contact information and social media details. This pointed to an unauthorized access or extraction from within Truecaller’s own user base, even though the company initially suggested the breach may have been fabricated.

What User Data Was Exposed?

The information leaked included:

• Phone numbers
• Full names
• Genders
• Locations and full addresses
• Job titles and company names
• Email addresses
• User-provided websites
• Facebook IDs
• Twitter usernames

Such information, when amassed, creates the potential for enhanced phishing, spam, and identity misrepresentation, though no widespread misuse from this dataset was reported immediately.

How Many Users Were Impacted?

The breach affected about 147,810,571 individual records. Truecaller is particularly popular in India, which is why the majority of impacted users were Indian residents, though the data also covered some international users who used the service.

Timeline of Events

• February 2019: News of the breach surfaces as the database is found online.
• Post-discovery: Security analysts begin comparing the database contents with known Truecaller data structures, confirming its likely source.
• Company response: Truecaller initially disputes the breach’s authenticity, but analysis by external parties shows the information is consistent with their user data.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened in the Truecaller India data breach?

In February 2019, a large set of user profile data was exposed from Truecaller India, including phone numbers, names, locations, professional info, emails, and social media details. This data likely came from an extraction of Truecaller's user database.

How many accounts were affected in the Truecaller breach?

Roughly 147 million user records were exposed during the Truecaller India data breach in February 2019.

What specific types of user data were leaked in the Truecaller breach?

The breach included phone numbers, full names, genders, locations, full addresses, company names, job titles, email addresses, user websites, and social media identifiers like Facebook and Twitter usernames.

Who was responsible for the Truecaller India breach?

The exact identity of the individuals or group behind the breach is still unknown. The data appeared on various forums and was most likely extracted by third parties who obtained unauthorized access to Truecaller's user information.

How can i check if i'm in the Truecaller India breach?

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