The Origin Leak: 145 Passwords Exposed. Yours Might Be One.

HEROIC analysts track this as a distinct database breach tied to Origin, the gaming platform operated by Electronic Arts, separate from other Origin-related incidents in our records. This specific leak exposed 145 accounts, with a recorded leak date of October 19, 2015. Exposed data includes email addresses and passwords, both stored in plaintext with no hashing or encryption applied.

Why This Origin Leak Is Dangerous

Because the passwords in this dataset were never hashed, there is no cracking process standing between an attacker and a usable login. Whoever holds this data has the exact password each of these 145 account holders typed when they signed up, which means it can be tried immediately against Origin itself, against email providers, or against any other site where the same password might have been reused.

What Was Exposed in This Origin Database

• Email addresses
• Passwords, stored in plaintext with no protection

Why a Small Leak Like This Still Matters

A gaming account tied to Origin is often linked to a stored payment method, a linked email address, and sometimes a connected EA account with purchase history attached. Even with only 145 accounts involved, anyone included in this leak faces the same real risk as someone caught in a much larger breach, since the password exposed here is fully usable rather than scrambled. If reused elsewhere, it can lead directly to account takeover, unauthorized purchases, or a foothold for broader identity theft.

How a Plaintext Password Leak Happens

This incident is classified as a database breach, meaning an attacker gained direct access to backend systems and extracted account records rather than collecting them one at a time. Storing passwords in plaintext, with no hashing algorithm applied at all, is considered a serious security failure, since it means the platform itself never protected these credentials, even before the data was exposed.

Check If You Were Affected by This Origin Leak

If you have ever had an Origin account, it is worth checking whether your information appears in this specific leak or in any other breach tied to your email address. HEROIC's free breach scanner checks your email against a database of more than 400 billion breached records, including this one, and shows you exactly where your data has surfaced. Run a free scan to confirm your exposure and update any reused passwords.