Sindhunagar

We've been tracking the increasing prevalence of localized data breaches targeting smaller online communities. These breaches often fly under the radar of mainstream media, yet they can expose sensitive information about individuals in specific geographic areas, potentially increasing their risk of targeted attacks. What struck us about the Sindhunagar breach wasn't the volume of records, but the targeted nature of the platform and the age of the breach itself. The data had been circulating quietly for years, but we noticed a recent uptick in mentions on underground forums, suggesting renewed interest in this older dataset.

Sindhunagar: The Quiet Leak of 20k Indian Community User Records

In August 2018, the online platform Sindhunagar, which catered to the local community of Ulhasnagar, Maharashtra, India, suffered a data breach. This breach resulted in the exposure of 20,268 user records. The breach initially surfaced on underground forums and has recently resurfaced, prompting our analysis. What caught our attention was the specific focus on a localized community platform. While the number of records is relatively small compared to mega-breaches, the targeted nature of the data makes it valuable for malicious actors seeking to exploit individuals within that specific geographic region. This incident underscores the importance of security for even small, community-based online platforms and the long tail of risk associated with older breaches.

Key point: Total records exposed: 20,268

Key point: Types of data included: Email addresses, phpass password hashes

Key point: Sensitive content types: Potentially personal information related to community activities and discussions

Key point: Source structure: Database, Combolist

Key point: Leak location(s): Underground forums

Key point: Date of first appearance: August 24, 2018

While there is limited mainstream media coverage of the Sindhunagar breach, the incident has been documented on breach notification sites such as Have I Been Pwned?, confirming its authenticity and impact. Mentions on various hacking forums and Telegram channels indicate that the data has been used in credential stuffing attacks targeting Indian users. The relatively weak phpass password hashing algorithm used by Sindhunagar at the time of the breach further exacerbates the risk, as these hashes are more easily cracked compared to more modern algorithms.

Email · Address · Password · Hash