The Tech in Asia Leak: 441,818 Emails Now in Scammers’ Hands

HEROIC analysts identified a data breach affecting Tech in Asia, a Singapore-based technology news outlet, discovered on June 1, 2024. The exposed dataset contains 441,818 records, including email addresses, first names, and last names. No passwords were included in this leak.

Why This Is Dangerous for Tech in Asia Readers

According to the threat actor who posted this data, the breach was carried out by exploiting critical vulnerabilities in Tech in Asia's API, along with additional bugs that provided access to internal services. That means this wasn't a guessed password or a leaked spreadsheet, it was a direct compromise of the platform's backend systems. Even though no passwords were exposed, attackers can still use your name and email address to build convincing, personalized phishing emails that reference your account or subscription.

What Was Exposed From Tech in Asia's Database

• Email addresses
• First names
• Last names

Why This Matters Beyond Tech in Asia

A breach without passwords still creates real risk. Scammers use verified, real email addresses paired with real names to run phishing and social engineering campaigns that feel legitimate. If you use the same email address across other services, this data can be combined with information from other breaches to build a fuller profile of you, one that's often used for account takeover attempts, spam, or targeted fraud.

How Attackers Exploited Tech in Asia's API

The threat actor claimed the intrusion was made possible by exploiting several critical vulnerabilities in Tech in Asia's API, combined with other bugs that granted access to internal services. APIs are the connective tissue between a website's front end and its databases, and when they aren't properly secured, they can let attackers pull data directly from the source, which appears to be exactly what happened here. This type of database breach, where flaws in an application's programming interface expose backend records, is an increasingly common way for attackers to walk away with large volumes of user data.

Check If Your Tech in Asia Data Was Exposed

If you have ever created an account with Tech in Asia, it's worth checking whether your information appears in this breach or any other. HEROIC's free breach scanner searches a database of more than 400 billion leaked records, including this incident, to tell you instantly if your email address has been exposed. Run a free scan now to see where you stand.