More than 200 million Pornhub users may have had their private activity data compromised, following a massive data breach dating back to 2023.
In a statement published on 12 December and updated on 16 December, Pornhub confirmed that the breach affected Premium users, with attackers accessing data through a third-party analytics provider, Mixpanel.
“We recently learned that an unauthorised party gained unauthorised access to analytics data stored with Mixpanel,” the company said.
“The unauthorised party was able to extract a limited set of analytics events for some users. This was not a breach of Pornhub Premium’s systems.”
What data was exposed?
While Pornhub stressed that no passwords, payment details, or government IDs were leaked, the breach still raises serious privacy concerns.
The exposed data reportedly includes:
- Email addresses
- Location data
- Search keywords
- Videos watched or downloaded
- Timestamps of activity
The data, allegedly amounting to 94GB, was stolen and is now being used in extortion attempts by a group known as ShinyHunters.
According to Bleeping Computer, the hackers are threatening to leak users’ porn histories to family or friends unless they receive a ransom payment. This kind of attack is known as “sextortion”, and it’s becoming increasingly common in high-profile breaches involving adult content.
ShinyHunters told BleepingComputer that the leaked data contained over 201 million records tied to Premium account activity, including viewing and download history.
Is Mixpanel to blame?
Mixpanel has denied that the data was taken during their November 2025 security incident.
“We can find no indication that this data was stolen from Mixpanel during our November 2025 security incident or otherwise,” the company said.
They added that the data in question was last accessed by a legitimate Pornhub employee in 2023, suggesting the breach may stem from improper data handling, rather than a direct hack of Mixpanel’s systems.
What should users do now?
Pornhub has advised all users to:
- Stay vigilant
- Monitor inboxes for phishing or extortion emails
- Report any suspicious activity
The company is still investigating the breach, and it’s unclear whether affected users will be notified directly.
Why this matters
Even without payment details or passwords, breaches involving sensitive personal interests can be deeply distressing for users. The nature of the data — including explicit search histories and location info — could put individuals at risk of blackmail, public shaming, or emotional harm.
