Was your data in the Heroes of Gaia breach?

2013 · heroesofgaia.com179,967 accountsSeverity 4 / 10 — moderate, because names and usernames and email addresses leaked

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Heroes of Gaia (heroesofgaia.com) suffered a data breach in 2013 that exposed around 179,967 accounts. If you had an account, some of your personal data may be circulating in leaked databases. The fastest way to know is to check your own email — free, in about 30 seconds, no password required.

What happened

In early 2013, the online fantasy multiplayer game Heroes of Gaia suffered a data breach. The newest records in the data set indicate a breach date of 4 January 2013 and include usernames, IP and email addresses but no passwords.

Breach record from Have I Been Pwned, CC BY 4.0. Risk analysis by Nullivo.

What was exposed, and why it matters

Not all breaches carry the same risk — what matters is which fields leaked. Here is what the Heroes of Gaia breach exposed and what each item actually enables:

Names and usernames
weight 4 / 10
Links this leak to your other accounts — a reused username lets anyone build a profile of you across platforms.
Email addresses
weight 3 / 10
Puts you on spam and phishing lists, and confirms to attackers that you hold an account with this service — which makes impersonation emails more believable.
IP addresses
weight 3 / 10
Reveals your approximate location and internet provider, which adds credibility to targeted scams.

Also listed in this breach: Browser user agent details, Email addresses, IP addresses, Usernames, Website activity.

What to do if you were affected

These steps are ordered for this specific breach — the most urgent action given what leaked comes first.

  1. Names and usernames
    Search your usual username to see what else it exposes, and use distinct handles for sensitive accounts.
  2. Email addresses
    Treat any message referencing this service with suspicion, and never act on links in unexpected emails.
  3. IP addresses
    No direct action needed, but be wary of anyone quoting your location as “proof” of identity.
  4. Confirm you were actually in it
    Run a free scan before you spend time on the steps above.

How urgent is this now?

This breach is over 13 years old. Old credentials still cause harm — leaked passwords from a decade ago are still tried against new accounts every day.

Remember: a breach can’t be “un-leaked” — once a database is out, it exists in countless copies. The goal is to make the leaked data useless: change what can be changed, lock down what can’t, and remove what has been republished.

Frequently asked questions

What data was exposed in the Heroes of Gaia breach?

The Heroes of Gaia breach exposed names and usernames, email addresses, ip addresses. Links this leak to your other accounts — a reused username lets anyone build a profile of you across platforms.

How many people were affected by the Heroes of Gaia breach?

Around 179,967 accounts were exposed, making it a mid-sized breach.

What should I do if I had a Heroes of Gaia account?

Search your usual username to see what else it exposes, and use distinct handles for sensitive accounts. You can check whether your own email appears in this breach with a free Nullivo scan — no password required.

Breaches that exposed similar data

If the Heroes of Gaia breach affected you, these breaches exposed comparable information — worth checking too, since leaked datasets are routinely combined.

See all breaches we cover →