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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The Animal Jam breach discussed here happened in October 2020—not recently. Have I Been Pwned (HIBP) lists 46 million affected user accounts and more than 7 million unique email addresses; those figures are not interchangeable, and the account total does not mean 46 million distinct people were affected. The incident involved personal and account data, so families should change any reused password and stay alert for convincing follow-up scams.
When did the Animal Jam breach happen?
HIBP records the incident as occurring in October 2020 and says the data was shared in online hacking communities the following month. HIBP added the incident to its breach database on 12 November 2020. The available sources for this article document that 2020 incident; they do not establish a newer Animal Jam breach.
HIBP’s listing reports 46 million user accounts and over 7 million unique email addresses. An account is not necessarily a unique person or a unique email address, so the larger number should not be described as 46 million people or 46 million email addresses.
How did attackers reportedly get access?
TechCrunch reported on 16 November 2020 that WildWorks said an attacker broke into a system the company used for employee communications, obtained a secret key, and used it to access the player database. The company reportedly learned of the breach in November after the records had been stolen in early October. This is the account WildWorks gave as reported by TechCrunch, not an independently reproduced forensic finding. The reporting describes access to a WildWorks system; it does not say the communications-software vendor itself was breached.
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What information was exposed?
HIBP lists usernames, IP addresses, dates of birth (sometimes partial), physical addresses, parent names, genders, email addresses, and passwords stored as PBKDF2 hashes. A hash is a transformed representation of a password rather than the plain-text password, but hashed passwords should still be treated seriously: change the affected password anywhere it was reused.
TechCrunch relayed a more detailed breakdown from WildWorks. These counts describe records in different categories, which may overlap; they should not be added together to estimate unique people.
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- CONTENT: Each blind bag contains 4 animal jam abatons, 4 stickers and a game code.
- COLLECT THEM ALL: Get your favorite Animal Jam character and collect all 25 designs. What are you waiting for, place your order now!
- EXCLUSIVE GIFT: Each pack includes 1 online game code. Unlock the code and play wild!
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| Reported record category | Count |
|---|---|
| Player usernames | 32 million |
| Gender | 23.9 million |
| Birth year | 14.8 million |
| Full date of birth | 5.7 million |
| Parent email addresses | 7 million |
| Parent accounts with a full name and billing address | 12,653 |
| Parent accounts with a parent name but no billing address | 16,131 |
WildWorks reportedly said financial data was not stolen apart from billing addresses. Put precisely, payment or other financial details were not reported stolen, but some parent billing addresses were exposed.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What should affected families do now?
- Change reused passwords. If the old Animal Jam password was used on any other account, change it there too. Set a different, strong password for every account. A password manager can help generate and store unique passwords, but it cannot undo exposure or replace updating a reused password.
- Turn on two-factor authentication where available. It adds a sign-in check beyond the password. HIBP recommends using it where services support it; the sources cited here do not verify Animal Jam’s current account-security options.
- Treat breach-related messages cautiously. Do not give anyone your password or sign-in code, send money, or provide extra personal information because a message claims to be helping with the breach. Verify requests through the service’s official channels rather than links or contact details in an unexpected message.
- Contact Animal Jam if an account seems compromised. The Identity Theft Resource Center’s summary advises contacting the Animal Jam security team if an account appears to have been used without permission.
Do not download leaked records or try passwords found in a breach dump. Those actions expose people to further harm and do not help secure an account.
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- CONTENT: Each blind bag contains 2 animal jam abatons, 2 stickers and 1 game code.
- COLLECT THEM ALL: Get your favorite Animal Jam character and collect all 25 designs. What are you waiting for, place your order now!
- EXCLUSIVE GIFT: Each pack includes 1 online game code. Unlock the code and play wild!
- FIND THE SPECIAL ONES: Look for Glitter Effect and Gold Animal Jam Abatons.
- PERFECT GIFT: Makes a great gift & perfect for schools, party favors, stocking stuffers, baskets and so much more! Recommended for ages 3 and up!
Sources
- Have I Been Pwned: Animal Jam breach listing
- TechCrunch: Animal Jam hack report, 16 November 2020
- Identity Theft Resource Center: Animal Jam data breach summary
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