timehopThe company behind social media app Timehop has revealed its servers suffered a data breach in which the personal details of around 21 million users were stolen.

The company, whose service integrates with users' social media accounts to display photos and memories they may have forgotten about, said it became aware of the attack as it was happening in the early hours of July 4.

In a statement published on Saturday, the company said it was able to shut down its cloud servers two hours and twenty minutes into the attack, but not before a significant number of users' data was stolen.

Hackers made off with the names and emails of 21 million users and the phone numbers of 4.7 million users, but no private/direct messages, financial data, social media, photo content, or Timehop data including streaks were affected, according to the company.

However, the keys that enable the service to read and send social media content to users were compromised in the breach. Timehop has deactivated the keys as a security measure, but that means users will need to re-enable the app's permission to access their accounts if they want to continue using the service.

While we investigate, we want to stress two things: First: to date, there has been no evidence of, and no confirmed reports of, any unauthorized access of user data through the use of these access tokens.

Second, we want to be clear that these tokens do not give anyone (including Timehop) access to Facebook Messenger, or Direct Messages on Twitter or Instagram, or things that your friends post to your Facebook wall. In general, Timehop only has access to social media posts you post yourself to your profile. However, it is important that we tell you that there was a short time window during which it was theoretically possible for unauthorized users to access those posts - again, we have no evidence that this actually happened.

Notably, Timehop admitted that prior to the breach, the account login process on the compromised cloud server was not protected by multi-factor authentication.

Multi-factor authentication protocols are often used by companies handling large customer databases because they provide hardened security during login attempts by requesting that the user provides extra information only they would know.

The company said it had now reset all its passwords and added multi-factor authentication to all its cloud server accounts, and would continue to work with local and federal law enforcement officials to investigate the incident further.

Update 7/11: Timehop has disclosed that more user information was compromised in the same data breach, including date of birth and gender.

Top Rated Comments

mcdj Avatar
92 months ago
You know you’re old when 21 million people use something you’ve never even heard of.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
riverfreak Avatar
92 months ago
Amazeballs on so many levels. Storing user data unencrypted. They hadn’t been bothered to add MFA before but were able to do so in just a couple of days AFTER the breach. And the attackers got access to auth tokens.

Here’s some lessons kids. Don’t use the login with Facebook feature. Ever. The two seconds of convenience you’ll save just makes Facebooks data collection even more pervasive and pernicious.

Consider whether you really *need* any of these services. Consider whether you should really be connecting anything to social media accounts. Finally go to Facebook right now and try to understand the bizarro privacy settings. Download your data. Check out apps you’ve connected and delete ones you don’t use, recognize, or remember. And consider disabling the “Facebook Platform” option altogether.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
H3LL5P4WN Avatar
92 months ago
I shouldn't care, but I'm laughing myself into a hemorrhage over this.

I told my ex (and her BFF, and I think also his BF) numerous times to turn that garbage off, especially since Failbook and Google Photos have this exact feature built in (and since they're all millennials, FB and Snapchat are all they use).

I do feel bad that 21 million people had to suffer due to this particular posterior bite from Karma, however.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacDawg Avatar
92 months ago
Is there a forum / wiki with a master list of breaches like this one?
There was... but it was hacked and all the information was stolen

/jk
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
augustrushrox Avatar
92 months ago
Is there a forum / wiki with a master list of breaches like this one?
https://haveibeenpwned.com/
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KPandian1 Avatar
92 months ago
It is not enough that so much personal data is given up by people on Facebook and other social media, they actually fall for a company that "puts it all together" with a selling slogan "Sharing Is Caring!"?

Love the fact that it is "local".
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple tv 4k new orange

New Apple TV Expected Later This Year With These New Features

Saturday July 12, 2025 3:09 pm PDT by
A new Apple TV is expected to be released later this year, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the next Apple TV, according to rumors. Rumors Faster Wi-Fi Support The next Apple TV will be equipped with Apple's own combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He said the chip supports ...
iphone 16 pro ghost hand

5 Reasons to Skip This Year's iPhone 17 Pro

Thursday July 10, 2025 4:54 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 series in two months, and the iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to get a new design for the rear casing and the camera area. But more significant changes to the lineup are not expected until next year, when the iPhone 18 models arrive. If you're thinking of trading in your iPhone for this year's latest, consider the following features rumored to be coming...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 16 New Features

Friday July 11, 2025 12:40 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are only two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:A redesigned Dynamic Island: It has been rumored that all iPhone 17 models will have a redesigned Dynamic Island interface — it might ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Sunday July 13, 2025 10:30 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iphone 16 pro pro max

iPhone 17 Pro Models With BOE Displays Will Be Sold in China Only

Thursday July 10, 2025 11:59 pm PDT by
iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models with displays made by BOE will be sold exclusively in China, according to a new report. Last week, it emerged that Chinese display manufacturer BOE was aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. Now, tech news aggregator Jukan Choi reports...
top stories 2025 07 12

Top Stories: iPhone 17 Pro Rumors, iOS 26 Beta 3, and More

Saturday July 12, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
The iOS 26 public beta release is quickly approaching, while developers have recently gotten their hands on a third round of betas that has seen Apple continue to tweak features, design, and functionality. We're also continuing to hear rumors about the iPhone 17 lineup that is now just about right around the corner, while Apple's latest big-budget film appears to be taking off, so read on...