Wakanim wakanim.tv Wakanim data breach: what happened and what to do
In August 2022, the European anime streaming service Wakanim had a data breach affecting about 6.7 million customer records. It included email addresses, names, physical addresses, IP addresses and usernames. The data was advertised for sale.
View all 13,115 breaches- Breach date
- 28 Aug 2022
- Affected
- 6,706,951
- Data exposed
- Browser user agent details, Email addresses, IP addresses, Names, Physical addresses, Usernames
- Verified
- Yes
- Last updated
Source: Have I Been Pwned (CC BY 4.0)
What happened
Wakanim is a European streaming service for anime. In August 2022 its customer data was stolen, and the data was then advertised and sold on a hacking forum. Have I Been Pwned lists 6,706,951 accounts.
Anime News Network reported in September 2022 that the service delayed new content after a possible data breach.
What was exposed
The records include email addresses, names, usernames, physical addresses, IP addresses and browser user agent details. No passwords are listed in the Have I Been Pwned entry.
Names with home addresses and email addresses are what criminals use for convincing phishing, fake parcel notices and fake subscription billing messages. Streaming subscribers are a common target for "your payment failed" scams.
What to do
You don't need a password reset for this one, but you should still be wary of messages about your streaming account. If you used the same email and password on other services, changing them is cheap protection.
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Expect phishing that uses these details
Expect fake billing, subscription and delivery messages that use your name or address. Open your streaming account from the app or the site you typed yourself, not from a link.
- 2
Change reused passwords and turn on two-factor login
No passwords were listed in this breach, but if you reuse passwords across accounts, change them and use an authenticator app or passkey.
- 3
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
A free Serus scan checks breach databases for your email, phone and other details, and Serus alerts you when they show up in a new leak. It can't remove breach data, so the steps above are what protect you.
Frequently asked
Was I affected?
If you had a Wakanim account before August 2022, possibly. Look up your email on Have I Been Pwned or run a free Serus scan.
What was exposed?
Email addresses, names, usernames, physical addresses, IP addresses and browser user agent details, per Have I Been Pwned.
Were passwords leaked?
Have I Been Pwned doesn't list passwords for this breach.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
