Chocolate Management & Verlag

We've been tracking a troubling trend of older breaches resurfacing in new contexts, often amplified by the automation of credential stuffing attacks. What really struck us about this particular incident wasn't the number of records, but the age of the breach and the continued use of plaintext passwords. The Chocolate Management & Verlag breach, dating back to **November 2017**, highlights the long tail of risk associated with poor security practices and the ongoing threat posed by legacy data. The fact that plaintext passwords from this breach are still circulating underscores the need for continuous monitoring and proactive password resets.

Chocolate Management & Verlag: 69k Records Featuring Plaintext Passwords Resurface

In **November 2017**, Chocolate Management & Verlag, an Austrian publishing company, experienced a data breach. The compromised data, including nearly 70,000 unique email addresses and plaintext passwords, has recently resurfaced on various dark web forums and Telegram channels. This re-emergence underscores the enduring risk associated with poorly secured data and the potential for old breaches to fuel new attacks. The data had been circulating quietly, but we noticed increased chatter related to it in credential stuffing forums, suggesting it was being actively used in automated attacks.

This breach matters to enterprises now because it highlights the continued vulnerability of systems relying on weak or outdated security measures. The use of plaintext passwords is a particularly egregious security lapse, making user accounts extremely susceptible to compromise. Even years after the initial breach, these credentials remain a viable attack vector, especially against individuals who reuse passwords across multiple platforms. This incident underscores the critical importance of implementing robust password policies, including mandatory password resets and multi-factor authentication.

Key point: Total records exposed: **69,708**

Key point: Types of data included: Email Address, Plaintext Password

Key point: Sensitive content types: Credentials

Key point: Source structure: Database

Key point: Leak location(s): Dark web forums, Telegram channels

Key point: Date of first appearance: **November 23, 2017**

Security news outlets have covered similar incidents highlighting the long-term impact of plaintext password storage. For example, BleepingComputer has reported on numerous cases where old databases containing plaintext passwords have been exploited years after the initial breach. One Telegram post claimed the files were "a goldmine for password reuse," emphasizing the ongoing value of these credentials to attackers. Furthermore, the use of open-source password cracking tools makes it relatively easy for attackers to derive usable passwords from even weak plaintext values.

Email · Address · Plaintext · Password