Dutch Runescape Forum Leak Has More Records Than a Small City Block

Dutch Runescape Forum was an online community built around the popular massively multiplayer game RuneScape, catering to Dutch-speaking players. On February 9, 2012, the site suffered a database breach that exposed 20,208 user accounts. The dump included email addresses, usernames, password hashes, and hash type data, with passwords stored using WordPress's MD5-based hashing format.

Why Dutch Runescape Forum Breach Is Dangerous

Gaming forum accounts may seem low-value, but the danger comes from credential reuse. Players who registered on forums like this in 2012 often used the same email and password on their main game accounts, social media, and email inboxes. WordPress MD5 hashes are weak by modern standards, and many from this dump have likely already been cracked. Once cracked, those credentials get loaded into automated tools and tried against every major platform.

What Was Exposed in the Dutch Runescape Forum Leak

• Email Address
• Username
• Passwords
• Hash Type

Why This Dutch Runescape Forum Data Puts You at Risk

RuneScape's player base was particulary active in online communities, and many players used the same password across forums, the game itself, and other services. If you registered on this forum and haven't changed that password, it may have already been cracked and sold as a ready-to-use credential list. The email addresses from this dump also give attackers a verified list of active gaming community members to target with phishing emails and account recovery exploits.

How Database Breaches Work

In a database breach, an attacker gains unauthorized access to a site's backend and extracts the user database in bulk. The breach occured when an attacker exploited a vulnerability in the forum's software or server configuration, pulling every registered user's email address, username, and hashed password in a single operation. That data was then shared on breach forums and resold to buyers who use it for credential stuffing campaigns against other platforms.

Check If Your Data Was Exposed

HEROIC's free breach search checks your email against 400 billion+ compromised records, including data from the Dutch Runescape Forum dump. Search now to find out if your credentials were exposed, and update your passwords before someone else uses them.