Tuned Global tunedglobal.com Tuned Global data breach: what happened and what to do
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.
Data from music tech company Tuned Global, dating to 2016, was released on a hacking forum in January 2021. HIBP counts 985,586 accounts: emails, names, phone numbers, some addresses and plain text passwords.
View all 13,118 breaches- Breach date
- 16 Mar 2016
- Affected
- 985,586
- Data exposed
- Email addresses, Names, Passwords, Phone numbers, Physical addresses
- Verified
- Yes
- Last updated
Source: Have I Been Pwned (CC BY 4.0)
What happened
In January 2021, data from several breached services, including Tuned Global, was released on a public hacking forum. Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) says the Tuned Global breach appears to date back to 2016. It counts 985,586 accounts. HIBP added it to its database on 3 August 2022.
The records contain email addresses, names, phone numbers, a small number of physical addresses and passwords. HIBP's note on this breach says the passwords were stored in plain text, which is the most serious detail here. Plain text means anyone holding the data could read them without cracking anything.
What was exposed
HIBP lists email addresses, names, passwords, phone numbers and physical addresses.
What that lets criminals do
A plain text password next to an email address works immediately for credential stuffing: criminals try the pair on email, shopping and banking logins. The data is old, so many of those passwords may have been changed since, but any account where you still use the same password is at risk. Names and phone numbers also help scammers write convincing phishing and text messages.
What to do now
If you ever used a Tuned Global service, assume that password is public. Change it, and change it on any other account that used it. Turn on two-factor authentication where it's offered. Because the breach dates to 2016, check your most important accounts first: email, banking and anything that holds payment details.
Sources checked: haveibeenpwned.com, siliconangle.com, consumer.ftc.gov
Last verified against the official page:
What to do if you were in it
- 1
Change any password you used with Tuned Global
Plain text passwords were exposed, so change that password everywhere you used it. Pick a long, unique password per account: CISA on strong passwords, FTC guidance.
- 2
Turn on two-factor authentication
Start with your email and banking accounts. See CISA's guide to MFA.
- 3
Watch for phishing that uses your name
Names and phone numbers were exposed, so expect messages that look personal. See the FTC on how to recognize phishing.
- 4
Check whether your email or phone is in this and other breaches
Serus runs a free scan of your email and phone number against breach databases and the dark web. If something turns up, it alerts you and tells you what to do next. Serus can't remove data that has already leaked, but it can tell you which of your accounts are exposed. Run a free scan.
Frequently asked
Was I affected by the Tuned Global data breach?
If you had an account with a service that uses Tuned Global, your email may be among the 985,586 accounts HIBP lists. Search your email on HIBP or run a free Serus scan.
What data was exposed in the Tuned Global breach?
Email addresses, names, passwords, phone numbers and a small number of physical addresses, according to HIBP.
Were passwords exposed in plain text?
Yes. HIBP says the passwords were stored in plain text.
Should I change my password?
Yes, on any account that shared the password, and turn on two-factor authentication where you can.
Sources
- Have I Been Pwned: TunedGlobal
- Have I Been Pwned: Tuned Global Data Breach · haveibeenpwned.com
- ShinyHunters publishes 1.9M stolen user credentials from photo editing site Pixlr · siliconangle.com
- How To Recognize and Avoid Phishing Scams · consumer.ftc.gov
- consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-keep-your-personal-information-secure
- Use Strong Passwords · cisa.gov
- Turn On MFA | CISA · cisa.gov
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.
