Reported MCResolver Data Breach: 2,431,501 Records With IP Addresses

HEROIC analysts logged a reported data breach record under the name MCResolver, dated January 1, 2015. It claims 2,431,501 records, each pairing a username with an IP address. The report is unconfirmed, and it lists no email address, so a scan of your email is the closest check available.

What a Username Tied to a Network Address Reveals

A username on its own is a handle. An IP address on its own is a network label. Paired in one row, they tie a handle to the connection it was used from, which can hint at a person's general location and internet provider. The record lists no password and no email address, so there is nothing to reset, but the pairing is personal in a way each half is not.

The Two Items the Record Claims

• Usernames, which can be matched to the same handle on other services.
• IP addresses, which point to a connection and an internet provider rather than to a name.

Why Passwordless Records Call for Care

Without a password or an email address, the record does not open a sign-in. Its use lies in linking an online handle to a network address, which someone could use to follow a person across services or to send unwanted traffic or messages toward that connection. Because the report has not been confirmed, treat it as a prompt to check rather than as proof.

How a Database Record Is Assembled

A database record is copied out of one source's own systems and arranged in rows, here claimed to hold only a username and an IP address. MCResolver is a label attached to the record; this post says nothing about what the source is, who its users are or what they did.

Where Does Your Address Appear?

This record lists no email address, so a match by email may not appear here, but you can scan your email to see your information across the other exposures HEROIC holds. Keep your devices and router software up to date, and be careful with messages that mention your username. Work addresses and personal ones are both worth scanning.