Our Analysts Found the Vakinha Breach in Underground Telegram Channels

HEROIC analysts uncovered the Vakinha breach while monitoring underground forums where the data had recieved renewed attention years after the initial incident. In June 2020, the Brazilian crowdfunding platform Vakinha suffered a database breach exposing 4,762,625 user records. The leaked data included email addresses, phone numbers, password hashes, full names, IP addresses, and birthdays.

How Attackers Exploit Bcrypt Password Hashes and Personal Data Together

When bcrypt password hashes are combined with birthdates, phone numbers, and IP addresses, attackers have everything needed for targeted credential cracking and phishing. The personal details allow bad actors to craft partcularly convincing social engineering messages aimed directly at Vakinha users, increasing the success rate of account takeover attempts across other platforms.

What Was Exposed in the Vakinha Breach

• Email Address
• Phone Number
• Password Hash
• First Name
• Last Name
• IP Address
• Birthday

Why 4.7 Million Brazilian Users Face Ongoing Risk

Crowdfunding platforms collect real names, contact details, and financial context from donors and campaign creators alike. When this data surfaces in hacking communities, it can be used to beleive accounts belong to real, verifiable people, making fraud and identity theft more convincing. With over 4.7 million records now accessable to threat actors, the risk of downstream harm remains significant.

How Database Breaches Work

A database breach occurs when an unauthorized party gains access to a backend data store, often through vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, misconfigured access controls, or compromised credentials. Once inside, attackers can extract entire tables of user records. The stolen data is then typically sold or shared across hacking forums and private channels, where it accumulates value over time as it is combined with other leaked datasets.

Check If Your Data Was Exposed

HEROIC's free breach scanner searches across more than 400 billion exposed records to tell you exactly what personal information has been compromised. Run a free scan today to see if your data from the Vakinha breach or any other incident is already in the hands of attackers.