The Seer Breach Handed Hackers 70,000 Plaintext Passwords

HEROIC analysts recieved intelligence in January 2018 confirming a database breach at Seer, a U.S.-based general business platform. The incident exposed 69,678 user records, including email addresses and plaintext passwords. That last detail is particularly alarming: storing passwords without any encryption means every single account was immediately accessible to whoever got their hands on the database.

What Hackers Can Do with Your Email and Plaintext Password

When attackers have your actual password in readable form, they do not need to crack anything. They can log directly into your Seer account, and because most people reuse passwords, they will also try those same credentials on your email, banking, and social media accounts. This technique, called credential stuffing, is highly accessable to even low-skill attackers using free automated tools.

What Was Exposed in the Seer Breach

• Email Address
• Plaintext Password

Why Plaintext Passwords Make This Breach Especially Dangerous

Most breaches expose hashed passwords, which still require effort to crack. The Seer breach is different: passwords were stored in plain readable text. That means attackers could begin account takeover attempts the moment they accessed the database. If you used the same password anywhere else, seperate accounts on other platforms were also at immediate risk of being compromised.

How a Database Breach Works

A database breach happens when an attacker gains unauthorized access to the system where a company stores its user data. This can happen through a software vulnerability, a misconfigured server, or stolen administrative credentials. Once inside, the attacker copies the data and walks away with everything stored in that database. The company often does not notice for days, weeks, or even months.

Check If Your Data Was Exposed

HEROIC's free breach scanner checks your email address against a database of over 400 billion compromised records, including the Seer breach. Run a free scan at HEROIC.com to find out if your credentials are circulating on the dark web and get guidance on what to do next.