Nitro Pdf Data Breach 2021 Jun 2026

Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the Nitro PDF data breach, the timeline of events, the specific data compromised, and the critical security lessons organizations must implement to prevent similar supply chain vulnerabilities. 1. Timeline of the Incident

| | Event | | --- | --- | | September 2020 | Nitro PDF database is initially compromised by a third party. | | October 21, 2020 | Nitro Software publicly acknowledges a "low-impact security incident" to the Australian Stock Exchange, insisting that no customer data was impacted. | | Late October 2020 | BleepingComputer reports that a database containing 70 million user records and 1TB of documents is being auctioned on the dark web for $80,000. | | November 20, 2020 | A person claiming to have the data publishes 2.6 million email addresses and hashed passwords, including over 4,000 '.nz' addresses. | | January 20, 2021 | A hacker affiliated with the "ShinyHunters" group leaks a 14GB database containing over 77 million user records on a hacker forum, making it freely available to anyone willing to pay a nominal $3 fee for access. | | January 19, 2021 | The breach is officially added to the Mozilla Monitor breach database. |

: Adding 2FA provides a crucial extra layer of security against credential stuffing attempts.

Nitro Software, the developer behind the popular Nitro PDF productivity suite, suffered an incident. Reports from security researchers at Cyble and Bleeping Computer revealed that the stolen data was being auctioned on the dark web for roughly $80,000. The Scale of the Breach nitro pdf data breach

A: No. Only the filenames and metadata were exposed. The actual binary content of your PDFs remained secure on separate storage.

was being auctioned alongside user credentials on the dark web. securityaffairs.com Timeline of Events Data Breach - Nitro Sign

For individuals, the fallout from this breach continues. The leaked database—containing 77 million records—is still circulating on the dark web, providing a rich source of information for cybercriminals. If you haven't already, check your email address on Have I Been Pwned, change any reused passwords, and enable MFA on your important accounts. In the digital age, proactive personal security is no longer optional—it's essential. Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the Nitro

Nitro officially disclosed the event in October 2020 via an advisory to the Australian Stock Exchange. Data Volume: Approximately 14GB of database information.

Over 77 million unique records were compromised.

when an unauthorized third party accessed a company database | | October 21, 2020 | Nitro Software

Armed with specific employee names, corporate email addresses, and the exact titles of PDFs those employees had recently edited, hackers crafted highly convincing phishing emails. An email referencing a specific, real document title from a user's Nitro account has an incredibly high success rate. Business Email Compromise (BEC)

City officials launched an internal investigation dubbed , which began on February 28 and involved coordination with the Nitro Police Department and the IRS in an effort to track the scammer. Letters were sent to affected employees on April 8 offering one year of complimentary identity theft protection.

: If you use the same password for other accounts, change it immediately. Always use unique, strong passwords for every service.

A misconfigured MongoDB instance running on a legacy Nitro cloud environment was left accessible from the public internet with default port 27017 open and no authentication enabled.

For Nitro Software, the path forward requires a fundamental reckoning with security. The company must move beyond characterizing breaches as "low impact" and instead embrace transparency, invest meaningfully in security infrastructure, and prioritize the protection of user data as a core business imperative—not an afterthought.