The initial breach occurred in when an unauthorized user accessed a private Slack channel used by WildWorks for internal communication. This channel contained a private Amazon Web Services (AWS) key . With this key, the hackers were able to bypass security measures and access the game's main user database. The company was alerted to the theft on November 11, 2020 , when security researchers saw a sample of the stolen data posted on the hacker forum RaidForums.
October 2023 (Updated with latest security insights)
The company's official safety guidelines repeatedly warn users not to share their password or password reset links with anyone — even individuals claiming to be from Animal Jam support (AJHQ). Sharing a password reset link or a screenshot of one allows another person to change your password and take over your account.
: Used at the time of account creation or login. Animal Jam Data Breach Passwords
According to independent security researchers and the dark web listing, the breached data included:
The Animal Jam Data Breach: Understanding the Impact on Player Passwords
For game developers, the lesson is clear: . Use modern, salted hashing algorithms like bcrypt, Argon2, or PBKDF2. And never store any password—even for a children’s game—using MD5 or SHA-1. The initial breach occurred in when an unauthorized
Visual and geographic indicators pinpointing the approximate location of the users during login.
The breach did not occur through a direct exploitation of the Animal Jam game infrastructure itself. Instead, it was achieved through a multi-stage compromise of the corporate communications used by its developer, .
The following is a briefing paper analyzing the 2020 Animal Jam data breach, focusing on password security and the subsequent impact on the platform's user base. Case Study: The 2020 Animal Jam Data Breach Executive Summary The company was alerted to the theft on
The breach was not a direct hack of Animal Jam’s game servers. Instead, the attacker targeted a that WildWorks used for internal communications. Once inside, the hacker stole an access key that granted them entry to WildWorks’ user database. According to WildWorks CEO Clark Stacey, the threat actors likely obtained the company’s AWS key after compromising the company’s Slack server , where sensitive credentials had been shared .
The Animal Jam Data Breach: A Deep Dive into the 2020 Password Leak
The data was later found being shared on a well-known underground hacking forum, marking the Animal Jam data breach as one of the largest incidents affecting a children's gaming platform to date.