Brinztech Alert: The Alleged Database of Apilage AI is Leaked

Dark Web News Analysis

The dark web news reports a confirmed data breach involving Apilage AI, an AI learning platform based in Sri Lanka. A threat actor has released a full SQL database dump containing the personal records of over 1,200 students.

The severity of this breach stems from the lack of encryption. The leaked dataset allegedly contains sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII) including Names, Email Addresses, Phone Numbers, Student IDs, and Registration Details. Most critically, the breach reveals that Chat Histories were stored in plaintext and uploaded user images were stored indefinitely in RAW format, meaning the attackers have immediate, unencrypted access to private conversations and visual data.

Key Cybersecurity Insights

Breaches of AI and EdTech platforms are particularly damaging because users often trust these systems with intimate or intellectual queries:

• The Plaintext Failure: Storing Chat Histories in plaintext is a catastrophic security failure. In an AI learning context, students may have shared private thoughts, academic struggles, or personal details with the AI. Without encryption, every word is now readable by the public, exposing students to embarrassment or blackmail.
• Indefinite Data Retention: The news highlights that uploaded images are stored indefinitely in RAW format. This violates basic data hygiene principles. If students uploaded photos for profile verification or assignments years ago, those images remain exposed, increasing the risk of misuse or Deepfake creation.
• Student Safety Risk: With 1,200 accounts compromised, the victims are likely students or young professionals. The combination of Phone Numbers and Private Chats creates a high risk of Sextortion or targeted harassment, where attackers threaten to release private chat logs unless a ransom is paid.
• Sri Lankan Regulations: This incident highlights the growing need for data protection enforcement in the region. Local businesses must adopt standards like encryption-at-rest to protect users, even if not strictly mandated by legacy laws.

Mitigation Strategies

To protect student privacy and secure the platform, the following strategies are recommended:

• Immediate Architecture Overhaul: Apilage AI must immediately encrypt all database fields containing chat logs and PII. Plaintext storage of communications is unacceptable in modern web development.
• Data Purge: Implement an automated retention policy to delete old images and chat logs that are no longer necessary for the service to function.
• Student Notification: Transparently inform all 1,200 affected students. They need to know specifically that their chat histories were exposed so they can assess their own privacy risk.
• Password Reset: Force a password reset for all accounts to prevent attackers from logging in and generating new malicious queries or accessing live sessions.

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