Prosper Data Breach Impacts 17.6 Million Accounts
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- Article Date: Friday 17 October 2025
- Article URL: https://yro.slashdot.org/story/25/10/17/2322217/prosper-data-breach-impacts-176-million-accounts
- Article Image: https://a.fsdn.com/sd/topics/privacy_64.png
Summary
Prosper, a peer-to-peer lending marketplace, has disclosed a data breach that affected roughly 17.6 million people. Attackers accessed company databases and exfiltrated sensitive personal information, including Social Security numbers, government IDs, income details and other applicant and customer data. The breach was detected on 2 September; Prosper says it has no evidence so far that customer accounts or funds were accessed, and the company is collaborating with law enforcement while investigating the full extent of the compromise. Have I Been Pwned has listed the incident and BleepingComputer reported the details.
Key Points
- Approximately 17.6 million people had data stolen from Prosper’s systems.
- Compromised data includes Social Security numbers, government IDs, dates of birth, names, addresses, income and employment details, credit status, IP addresses and browser user agents.
- The breach was discovered on 2 September; Prosper says no evidence yet that customer accounts or funds were accessed.
- Prosper is investigating, working with law enforcement and says it will offer free credit monitoring as appropriate once it determines affected data.
- Have I Been Pwned has published details of the breach, increasing visibility for affected individuals to check their exposure.
Why should I read this?
Look, this is big — your identity can be used in a dozen nasty ways if Social Security numbers and identity documents leak. If you or someone you know used Prosper, you should check Have I Been Pwned, watch your credit, and consider freezing or monitoring your credit scores. It’s one of those ‘do it now’ reads, not a bedtime story.
Context and Relevance
This incident fits a wider trend of financial services and lending platforms being attractive targets because they store highly sensitive identity and income information. For individuals, the risk is identity theft, fraudulent loan applications and targeted social engineering. For organisations, the event underscores the need for stronger data minimisation, better access controls and rapid detection/response capabilities. Regulators and customers alike are paying closer attention to breaches that expose government-issued IDs and national identifiers, so expect further scrutiny and potential regulatory follow-up.
Author style
Punchy — this is not just another headline. The scale and sensitivity of the exposed data make the details worth reading if you handle personal data, manage risk, or simply want to protect your own identity. We’ve saved you the slog: check exposure, consider credit protection steps, and follow Prosper’s updates.