Substack Hacked - What 50 Million Users Need To Know

"When you think of blogging in 2026, especially in terms of monetization, be that the written word, podcasting or video-based, then Substack has to be front and center of your mind. The subscription-based platform has, it said, some 50 million active subscribers, including 5 million paid subscriptions. Substack has also now said it has been hacked. Here's what you need to know and do."

"which does rather beg the question of why it has only now come to the attention of the Substack security team. I contacted Substack for a statement and was referred to the email itself, in which Best said the company is conducting a full investigation, and is "taking steps to improve our systems and processes to prevent this type of issue from happening in the future." Best also confirmed that "credit card numbers, passwords, and financial information were not accessed.""

Substack identified unauthorized access to limited user data and notified users on February 3. The incident reportedly occurred in October 2025 and involved email addresses, phone numbers and internal metadata. The company confirmed that credit card numbers, passwords and financial information were not accessed. Substack is conducting a full investigation and said it is taking steps to improve systems and processes to prevent similar incidents. The delayed discovery raises concerns about detection and response timelines. Substack hosts roughly 50 million active subscribers, including about 5 million paid subscribers, increasing the potential impact. Users should review account security and monitor for suspicious activity.

Read at Forbes