\n<\/p>\n
Newsletter platform Substack has confirmed a data breach in an email to users. The company said that in October, an \u201cunauthorized third party\u201d accessed user data, including email addresses, phone numbers, and other unspecified \u201cinternal metadata.\u201d <\/p>\n
Substack specified that more sensitive data, such as credit card numbers, passwords, and other financial information, was unaffected.<\/p>\n
In an email sent to users, Substack chief executive Chris Best said that the company identified the issue in February that allowed someone to access its systems. Best said that Substack has fixed the problem and started an investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m reaching out to let you know about a security incident that resulted in the email address and phone number from your Substack account being shared without your permission,\u201d said Best in the email to users. \u201cI\u2019m incredibly sorry this happened. We take our responsibility to protect your data and your privacy seriously, and we came up short here.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear what exactly the issue was with its systems, and the scope of the data that was accessed. It\u2019s also not yet known why the company took five months to detect the breach, or if it was contacted by hackers demanding a ransom. TechCrunch asked the company for more details, and we will update our story if we hear back.<\/p>\n
Substack did not say how many users are affected. The company said that it doesn\u2019t have any evidence that users\u2019 data is being misused, but did not say what technical means, such as logs, it has to detect evidence of abuse. However, the company asked users to take caution with emails and texts without any particular indicators or direction.<\/p>\n
On its website, Substack says that its site has more than 50 million active subscriptions, including 5 million paid subscriptions \u2014 a milestone it reached last March<\/a>. In July 2025, the company raised $100 million in Series C funding<\/a> led by BOND and The Chernin Group (TCG), with participation from a16z, Klutch Sports Group CEO Rich Paul, and Skims co-founder Jens Grede.<\/p>\n