17173

We've been tracking a steady stream of older database breaches resurfacing in various corners of the dark web, often repackaged and resold to new audiences. What made the 17173 breach stand out wasn't its size, but its age and the persistence of the data. This isn't a new leak; it originally occurred several years ago. However, the continual re-emergence of these credentials poses ongoing risks, especially with password reuse being a common practice. The data had been circulating quietly, but we noticed a recent uptick in mentions across several forums known for credential stuffing activities.

The 17173 Breach: Over 6.7 Million Accounts Exposed

The breach at 17173, a Chinese gaming website, exposed over 6.7 million user accounts. The database contained usernames, email addresses, and passwords. While the breach itself is not new, its reappearance highlights the long tail of risk associated with older breaches and the continued value of compromised credentials.

The breach was likely discovered internally some time ago, but the data has now surfaced on multiple public and private breach forums. We observed initial mentions on a popular hacking forum on October 26, 2024, with users sharing snippets of the database to verify its authenticity. The data structure appears to be a straightforward database dump, making it easily searchable and usable for malicious purposes.

The significance for enterprises lies in the potential for credential stuffing attacks. If employees or customers used the same email and password combination on 17173 as they do for corporate accounts, those accounts are now at risk. This breach underscores the importance of monitoring for exposed credentials and enforcing password policies that discourage reuse.

Key point: Total records exposed: 6,708,931

Key point: Types of data included: Name, Email, Password

Key point: Source structure: Database

Key point: Leak location(s): Multiple hacking forums

External Context & Supporting Evidence

Similar large-scale gaming site breaches have been reported over the years, often leading to credential stuffing attacks targeting other online services. For example, in 2016, BleepingComputer reported on a massive database of compromised credentials being used in credential stuffing attacks against online games. While not directly related to the 17173 breach, it highlights the broader trend of compromised gaming accounts being used for malicious purposes.

One Telegram post claimed the files were "freshly cracked from an old server," indicating the data may have been recently obtained or re-leaked. This adds further context to the re-emergence of this older breach.

Name · Email · Password