BitView bitview.net BitView data breach: what happened and what to do
In December 2024, video community BitView exposed 63,127 accounts from a backup taken by a previous administrator. Exposed: email and IP addresses, bcrypt password hashes, usernames, bios, private messages and comments.
View all 13,177 breaches- Breach date
- 14 Dec 2024
- Affected
- 63,127
- Data exposed
- Bios, Comments, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Genders, Geographic locations, IP addresses, Passwords, Private messages, Usernames
- Verified
- Yes
- Last updated
Source: Have I Been Pwned (CC BY 4.0)
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
What happened
BitView is a video sharing community. In December 2024, it suffered a data breach attributed to a backup taken by a previous administrator earlier in the year. Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) lists 63,127 affected accounts, with the breach dated 14 December 2024 and added on 19 December 2024.
Sources checked: haveibeenpwned.com, consumer.ftc.gov, cisa.gov
Last verified against the official page:
What was exposed
HIBP lists bios, comments, dates of birth, email addresses, genders, geographic locations, IP addresses, passwords, private messages and usernames. Not every record had every field: gender, date of birth and country were present for some. Passwords were stored as bcrypt hashes, a strong method that is hard to crack for well-chosen passwords.
What that lets criminals do
Private messages and comments can embarrass or be used to pressure someone. Email addresses feed phishing. If you reused your BitView password elsewhere, a determined attacker could try to crack the hash and test it on other sites.
What to do
Change your BitView password and any reuse of it, and be careful with messages that mention BitView. If you wrote anything in private messages that you wouldn't want read, assume it could be, and be wary of anyone who contacts you about it.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Change your password, and any you reused
Change your BitView password, and the password on every other account where you used the same or a similar one. Use a unique password for each account (see CISA's guidance).
- 2
Turn on two-factor login
Add two-factor authentication to your important accounts, starting with email. CISA recommends turning it on wherever it's offered.
- 3
Expect phishing that mentions the breach
Treat unexpected emails, texts and calls with suspicion, especially ones that mention this breach or ask you to act fast. Don't click links in them; go to the company's site yourself. The FTC explains how to spot phishing.
- 4
Think about what you wrote in private messages
Private messages were exposed. If any contained sensitive details, assume they could be seen and be wary of anyone who contacts you referring to them.
- 5
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Run a free Serus scan to see which breaches include your email or phone number. Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you when your details show up in a new leak. It can't remove data that has already leaked.
Timeline
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The breach happened
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Added to Have I Been Pwned
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the BitView breach?
Search your email on Have I Been Pwned or run a free Serus scan. HIBP lists 63,127 accounts.
What was exposed?
Email and IP addresses, bcrypt password hashes, usernames, bios, private messages and comments, plus gender, date of birth and country for some records.
Should I change my password?
Yes, and change it anywhere you reused it.
How did it happen?
HIBP attributes it to a backup taken by a previous administrator earlier in 2024.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
