Identity Theft Risk Rises for 11,654 Users After the Press Loft Breach

HEROIC analysts identified a dataset leaked on a hacking forum on August 21, 2018, tied to Press Loft, a UK-based online PR platform connecting interior, gift, fashion, and lifestyle brands with journalists, bloggers, and influencers. The breach affected 11,654 users and exposed email addresses along with MD5 password hashes.

Why the Press Loft Breach Raises Identity Theft Risk

MD5 is a weak, outdated hashing method that can often be cracked in minutes using freely available tools and precomputed lookup tables. Once cracked, a password from this breach becomes just as usable as a plaintext one, and combined with an email address, it gives an attacker enough to attempt access to other accounts belonging to the same person.

What Was Exposed in the Press Loft Breach

• Email addresses
• Password hashes (MD5)

Why This Matters

Journalists, bloggers, and influencers who used Press Loft often have public profiles and professional accounts that are attractive targets. If a cracked password matches the one used on email, social media, or financial accounts, attackers can use it for credential stuffing, opening the door to account takeover, identity theft, and financial fraud.

How a Database and Combolist Breach Like This Works

This incident is classified as both a database breach and a combolist. The data was pulled directly from Press Loft's own database and then shared in combolist form, a simple file pairing each email address with its password hash so it can be tested against other websites once cracked. That repackaging is what turns a single platform breach into a broader threat.

Check If You Are Affected

If you've ever had a Press Loft account, or you reuse passwords across services, it's worth checking now. HEROIC's free breach scanner checks your email against a database of more than 400 billion leaked records, including this one, so you can find out quickly and change any passwords still at risk.