In September 2025, **Prosper**, a leading peer-to-peer lending platform, suffered a **massive data breach** exposing the personal information of **17 million users**. Unauthorized actors gained access to sensitive data, including **names, addresses, email addresses, Social Security numbers, and government-issued IDs**, though no customer accounts or funds were directly compromised. The breach, described as **sophisticated and stealthy**, exploited vulnerabilities in Prosper’s backend systems, allowing attackers to exfiltrate data without disrupting operations.The incident has raised concerns over **long-term risks like identity theft, phishing, and synthetic fraud**, despite Prosper’s assurances that no account takeovers occurred. The company has initiated **credit monitoring for victims** and partnered with cybersecurity firms to strengthen defenses. However, the breach underscores systemic weaknesses in fintech security, prompting calls for **regulatory oversight, zero-trust architectures, and stricter data governance**. Legal repercussions, including potential class-action lawsuits, are underway, while the stolen data—particularly **Social Security numbers**—remains a high-value target for fraudsters. The event serves as a stark reminder of the **fragility of trust in digital lending** and the urgent need for proactive cybersecurity measures.
Source: https://www.webpronews.com/prosper-data-breach-exposes-17m-users-personal-details-in-2025/
TPRM report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/prosper-marketplace
"id": "pro0993009102025",
"linkid": "prosper-marketplace",
"type": "Breach",
"date": "9/2025",
"severity": "85",
"impact": "4",
"explanation": "Attack with significant impact with customers data leaks"{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': '17 million users (17.6 million '
'unique email addresses exposed)',
'industry': 'fintech',
'name': 'Prosper',
'type': 'peer-to-peer lending platform'}],
'attack_vector': ['exploitation of backend system weaknesses',
'stealthy data exfiltration'],
'customer_advisories': ['notification of breach',
'offer of credit monitoring services'],
'data_breach': {'data_exfiltration': True,
'number_of_records_exposed': '17.6 million unique email '
'addresses (17 million '
'individuals affected)',
'personally_identifiable_information': True,
'sensitivity_of_data': 'high (includes Social Security '
'numbers and government-issued IDs)',
'type_of_data_compromised': ['personally identifiable '
'information (PII)',
'sensitive personal data']},
'date_publicly_disclosed': '2025-09',
'description': 'A significant data breach at Prosper, a prominent '
'peer-to-peer lending platform, exposed the personal '
'information of approximately 17 million users. The incident '
'involved unauthorized access to systems compromising '
'sensitive data, including names, addresses, email addresses, '
'Social Security numbers, and government-issued IDs. While no '
'customer accounts or funds were accessed, the breach '
'highlights vulnerabilities in fintech infrastructures and the '
'potential for widespread identity theft.',
'impact': {'brand_reputation_impact': 'potential erosion of trust in '
'peer-to-peer lending models',
'data_compromised': ['names',
'addresses',
'email addresses',
'Social Security numbers',
'government-issued IDs'],
'identity_theft_risk': ['high risk of identity theft',
'synthetic identity fraud',
'targeted phishing campaigns',
'fraudulent loan applications'],
'legal_liabilities': ['potential class-action lawsuits'],
'operational_impact': 'no disruption to customer-facing operations',
'systems_affected': ['backend systems']},
'initial_access_broker': {'high_value_targets': ['personal data (PII)']},
'investigation_status': 'ongoing (legal investigations and potential lawsuits '
'unfolding)',
'lessons_learned': ['Prioritize multi-factor authentication (MFA)',
'Conduct regular penetration testing',
'Implement robust data encryption',
'Adopt zero-trust architectures',
'Strengthen threat intelligence sharing among financial '
'institutions',
'Balance innovation with security protocols'],
'post_incident_analysis': {'corrective_actions': ['enhanced monitoring',
'partnerships with '
'cybersecurity firms',
'adoption of zero-trust '
'architectures '
'(recommended)',
'implementation of '
'multi-factor '
'authentication '
'(recommended)',
'regular penetration '
'testing (recommended)'],
'root_causes': ['weaknesses in backend systems',
'inadequate detection of stealthy '
'data exfiltration']},
'ransomware': {'data_exfiltration': True},
'recommendations': ['Enhance cybersecurity measures, including multi-factor '
'authentication and data encryption',
'Conduct regular penetration testing and vulnerability '
'assessments',
'Adopt zero-trust security models',
'Improve data governance and monitoring practices',
'Foster collaboration for proactive threat intelligence '
'sharing',
'Prepare for long-term support for affected users (e.g., '
'credit monitoring)'],
'references': [{'source': 'TechRepublic'},
{'source': 'Have I Been Pwned (Troy Hunt)'},
{'source': 'Malwarebytes'},
{'source': 'BleepingComputer'},
{'source': 'Prosper FAQs'},
{'source': 'SecurityWeek'},
{'source': 'Infosecurity Magazine'},
{'source': 'BankInfoSecurity'},
{'source': 'CyberInsider'},
{'source': 'JoinTheCase'}],
'regulatory_compliance': {'legal_actions': ['potential class-action '
'lawsuits']},
'response': {'communication_strategy': ['notification to affected parties'],
'enhanced_monitoring': True,
'incident_response_plan_activated': True,
'recovery_measures': ['credit monitoring services for affected '
'users'],
'remediation_measures': ['enhanced monitoring',
'fortified defenses'],
'third_party_assistance': ['partnerships with cybersecurity '
'firms']},
'title': 'Data Breach at Prosper Peer-to-Peer Lending Platform',
'type': ['data breach', 'unauthorized access'],
'vulnerability_exploited': 'weaknesses in backend systems'}