Breach Database / MediaWorks
Yes — MediaWorks was breached.
- 162,710 accounts affected
- Breach occurred 2023-03-15 · mediaworks.co.nz
- Verified entry in the Have I Been Pwned catalog
What happened
In March 2024, millions of rows of data from the New Zealand media company MediaWorks was publicly posted to a popular hacking forum. The incident exposed 163k unique email addresses provided by visitors who filled out online competitions and included names, physical addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, genders and the responses to questions in the competition. Some victims of the breach subsequently received ransom demands requesting payment to have their data deleted.
What data was exposed
- Dates of birth
- Email addresses
- Genders
- Phone numbers
- Physical addresses
What to do right now
- Be alert for smishing and SIM-swap attempts. Treat unexpected texts and "carrier" calls with suspicion; add a PIN/port-freeze with your mobile carrier.
- Watch for targeted phishing mail. A leaked home address makes postal and doorstep scams more convincing.
- Expect convincing phishing emails. Attackers use breached details to write personalized emails. Be suspicious of any message referencing this service.
- Check your other accounts on Have I Been Pwned. Your email address may appear in other breaches you don't know about yet.
- Monitor the apps you use going forward. Clearly watches the breach record for the companies behind your apps and alerts you the moment one appears.
Breach data from Have I Been Pwned. Listing here means the service appears in the public breach record — not that your personal data was affected.