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Data breaches → You've Been Scraped

Was your data in the You've Been Scraped breach?

2018 · ~66,147,869 accounts exposedHigh severity · 7/10

You've Been Scraped suffered a data breach in 2018 that exposed around 66,147,869 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 October and November 2018, security researcher Bob Diachenko identified several unprotected MongoDB instances believed to be hosted by a data aggregator. Containing a total of over 66M records, the owner of the data couldn't be identified but it is believed to have been scraped from LinkedIn hence the title "You've Been Scraped". The exposed records included names, both work and personal email addresses, job titles and links to the individuals' LinkedIn profiles.

Breach details sourced from Have I Been Pwned, the industry-standard breach database. 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 You've Been Scraped breach exposed and what each item actually enables:

Location data

Reveals where you live, work or travel, which supports both targeted scams and physical-safety risks.

Names and usernames

Links this leak to your other accounts — a reused username lets anyone build a profile of you across platforms.

Email addresses

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.

Also listed in this breach: Email addresses, Employers, Geographic locations, Job titles, Names, Social media profiles.

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. Location data: Review location sharing on the accounts you still hold with this service.
  2. Names and usernames: Search your usual username to see what else it exposes, and use distinct handles for sensitive accounts.
  3. Email addresses: Treat any message referencing this service with suspicion, and never act on links in unexpected emails.
  4. Check whether your own email appears in this breach — run a free scan to confirm before you spend time on the steps above.

How urgent is this now?

This breach is over 8 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.

Check if your email was exposed.Nullivo's free scan checks your own verified email against known breaches — including You've Been Scraped — in 30 seconds. No password, no signup, and we only ever scan your own email. Run your free scan →

Frequently asked questions

What data was exposed in the You've Been Scraped breach?

The You've Been Scraped breach exposed location data, names and usernames, email addresses. Reveals where you live, work or travel, which supports both targeted scams and physical-safety risks.

How many people were affected by the You've Been Scraped breach?

Around 66,147,869 accounts were exposed, making it a very large breach by any measure.

What should I do if I had a You've Been Scraped account?

Review location sharing on the accounts you still hold with this service. 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 You've Been Scraped breach affected you, these breaches exposed comparable information — worth checking too, since leaked datasets are routinely combined.

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