Yes, SoundCloud experienced unauthorized access in December 2025. SoundCloud says the incident exposed email addresses and information already visible on public profiles, affecting approximately one-fifth of users. Its final investigation found no access to passwords or financial data.
What SoundCloud disclosed
SoundCloud detected unauthorized activity in an ancillary service dashboard in December 2025. The company activated its incident-response process, contained the activity and brought in outside cybersecurity specialists.
SoundCloud’s final incident update, dated February 24, 2026, says the investigation is complete and that no sensitive data was accessed. The company describes the affected information as email addresses plus data already visible on public SoundCloud profiles.
Incident timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| December 2025 | SoundCloud detected unauthorized activity in an ancillary service dashboard. |
| December 15, 2025 | SoundCloud said the issue had been resolved and that there was no ongoing risk to platform security or availability. It also recorded two denial-of-service attacks that temporarily affected web availability, plus temporary VPN-access problems after defensive configuration changes. |
| January 13, 2026 | SoundCloud said a group claiming responsibility had made demands and used email-flooding tactics against users, employees and partners. |
| January 27, 2026 | Have I Been Pwned added the incident to its breach database. BleepingComputer also reported SoundCloud’s confirmation and the company’s statement that password and financial data had not been accessed. |
| February 24, 2026 | SoundCloud published its final investigation update. |
Was SoundCloud hacked?
In ordinary terms, yes: an attacker gained unauthorized access to a SoundCloud-connected dashboard. However, the public findings do not describe a takeover of SoundCloud’s core platform or an ongoing availability risk. The incident involved linking profile information to email addresses, rather than exposing private posts or account credentials.
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What SoundCloud data was exposed?
The exposed set included email addresses and profile attributes that were already publicly visible. Have I Been Pwned lists the following fields:
- Names
- Usernames
- Avatars
- Follower and following counts
- The user’s country in some cases
The important distinction is that the profile fields were public, while the email addresses were used to connect those profiles to identifiable contact information. That combination can make targeted phishing and impersonation more convincing even when passwords remain protected.
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How many accounts were involved?
| Record | Figure | What it represents |
|---|---|---|
| Have I Been Pwned live incident record | 30 million unique email addresses | The number of unique addresses associated with the listed data. |
| Have I Been Pwned breach overview | 29.8 million affected addresses | The overview figure for the December 2025 breach; the entry was added on January 27, 2026. |
The two Have I Been Pwned figures describe the same incident but use different views of the dataset, so they should not be treated as two separate groups of victims.
Did the breach expose my password or payment details?
SoundCloud’s final update says no sensitive data, including passwords and financial information, was accessed. BleepingComputer reported the same conclusion from SoundCloud’s December confirmation.
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Even without password theft, an exposed email address can help an attacker target you with convincing messages. Change your SoundCloud password, and change any other password where you reused it. This is a precaution against password reuse; it is not evidence that SoundCloud passwords were obtained.
Who was behind the attack?
BleepingComputer reported that sources attributed the incident to the ShinyHunters extortion gang. That attribution is reported rather than an official SoundCloud finding.
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SoundCloud said a group claiming responsibility demanded payment and used email-flooding tactics. Have I Been Pwned says the attackers later attempted to extort SoundCloud before publicly releasing the data the following month. SoundCloud said it found no evidence supporting claims that sensitive data had been taken.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to check whether your email was included
- Open Have I Been Pwned’s email-search service.
- Search for the email address you used with SoundCloud.
- Check whether the SoundCloud entry appears in the results.
- Change your SoundCloud password and every other reused password.
- Enable two-factor authentication on SoundCloud, your email account and other services that support it.
Use a unique password for SoundCloud and store it in a reputable password manager if you use one. Checking the breach listing is useful for identifying an affected address, but it does not replace securing accounts where the same password was reused.
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How to avoid follow-up scams
- Be suspicious of messages claiming to offer breach assistance, refunds or account recovery.
- Do not click unexpected links or open attachments in messages about your SoundCloud account.
- Do not send passwords, verification codes or other credentials in response to an email or direct message.
- SoundCloud says it will never ask users for their passwords or credentials.
- Watch for unusual email volume, impersonation attempts and messages that use your public profile details to appear legitimate.
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