ShinyHunters Claim Pornhub Premium Data Breach: Threaten to Leak Viewing History for Bitcoin Ransom
The notorious hacking group ShinyHunters has announced it gained access to sensitive data belonging to Pornhub premium subscribers.
The cybercriminals are demanding a ransom in Bitcoin, warning that they will publicly release the stolen information—including email addresses and detailed viewing history—if their demands are not met.
The incident stems from a vulnerability in the analytics service Mixpanel in late 2025.
Details of the Alleged Pornhub Data Breach
According to reports from Reuters, BleepingComputer, and TechCrunch, ShinyHunters claims to have obtained approximately 94 GB of data containing over 200 million records related to Pornhub premium accounts.
The compromised information reportedly includes emails, geographic locations, search queries, video titles viewed, and timestamps of activity. The group provided samples to journalists, with partial verification confirming the data’s legitimacy.
Importantly, this was not a direct hack of Pornhub’s systems. The breach occurred through third-party analytics provider Mixpanel, which Pornhub stopped using in 2021.
However, historical tracking data remained stored on Mixpanel’s servers. Mixpanel has denied that the data was taken during their own reported incident in November 2025.
Hackers’ Demands and Risks to Users
ShinyHunters—one of the most active ransomware and data-theft groups in 2025—sent direct extortion emails to Pornhub executives. Failure to pay the Bitcoin ransom, they claim, will result in the full dataset being published online.
Such a leak could expose affected users to blackmail, privacy violations, and significant personal embarrassment due to the highly sensitive nature of adult content consumption records.
Pornhub has acknowledged that some premium users may be impacted but emphasized that passwords, payment details, and financial information remain secure.
The company is conducting an internal investigation and advising users to stay vigilant against phishing attempts.
Background on ShinyHunters
The group has been linked to numerous high-profile breaches throughout 2025, including attacks on major companies like Salesforce and Oracle.
ShinyHunters typically monetizes stolen data through ransom demands or sales on dark web marketplaces.
Sources: Reuters, BleepingComputer, TechCrunch, and cybersecurity reports (December 2025).
