Zurich/Silicon Valley – It's a disaster for millions of Pornhub users: The hacker group ShinyHunters has stolen 200 million premium user data and is now threatening blackmail! Affected: Search histories, watchlists, download activities, email addresses – all available on the Darknet. Swiss users are also affected!
The Hack: What Was Stolen? The stolen data includes:
📧 Email addresses of premium users 🔍 Search histories – every single search documented 👁️ Viewing History – which videos were watched and for how long 💾 Download activity – what was downloaded 📅 Timestamp – when was something done The data allegedly comes from a Mixpanel security breach in November 2025. Mixpanel is an analytics tool that Pornhub used for user tracking.
ShinyHunters: The infamous hacker group ShinyHunters is no stranger – the group already has:
Microsoft hacked AT&T customer data stolen Numerous companies blackmailed Their trademark: Bitcoin extortion. Now they are demanding a ransom from Pornhub - otherwise they will publish the data in full.
Pornhub responds: “Core systems not affected” Pornhub confirms the incident, but downplays it: “The core systems of our platform are not affected. The data comes from an old Mixpanel integration.»
But for those affected, this is cold comfort. Your most intimate preferences are now on the dark web – and can be used against you.
Sextortion wave threatens: “Pay up or we’ll tell your wife!” Pornhub is already warning its users about a wave of sextortion emails:
«Expect blackmail emails. Criminals will try to blackmail you with your stolen data. DO NOT PAY!”
The typical stitch:
Email to victim: “We know what you saw. Here’s your search history.” Provide proof: Real data from the leak Blackmail: “Pay $500 in Bitcoin – otherwise we will inform your family/employer.” Swiss affected: what to do? For Swiss users:
✅ Change password immediately – not just on Pornhub, everywhere the email is used ✅ Enable 2-factor authentication ❌ DO NOT respond to blackmail emails ❌ DO NOT pay Bitcoin – that doesn’t stop the blackmailers 📢 Authorities inform you if there are specific threats The Zurich cantonal police confirmed: “We have received initial reports from those affected. Anyone who is being blackmailed should contact us.”
Mixpanel denies responsibility Mixpanel, the analytics tool, denies that the data comes from them: “We are aware of the reports. But we deny that the Pornhub data came from our November breach.”
But the evidence is clear: the data structure matches Mixpanel logs. Experts are convinced: the data is real.
200 million users: The scale is gigantic For comparison:
Netflix: ~230 million subscribers worldwide Spotify: ~600 million users Pornhub Premium: ~200 million data stolen The leak affects years of user activity - some data going back to 2020. Anyone who was a premium user during this time is potentially affected.
The unreported figure: Many people don't know about the leak The problem: Many users don't even know that their data has been stolen. Pornhub did not send an individual notification. If you don't read news sites, you won't find out until the blackmail email comes.
Forbes warns: “Pornhub user data is now in criminal hands. Sextortion waves are programmed."
What Pornhub should have done - and didn't Experts criticize:
❌ No proactive user notification ❌ No forced password resets ❌ No transparent communication about the extent ❌ Mixpanel integration not disconnected in time Conclusion: 200 million Pornhub users are victims of the mega-leak - their most intimate data on the Darknet. Swiss affected. Sextortion wave is rolling in. If you were a premium user: change your password, be prepared for blackmail emails, don't pay!
