45 million users affected by breach on more than 1,100 websites

Synopsis

In June 2016, the company disclosed a security issue that was being investigated by their internal security team. At that time, it was one of the largest data breaches ever ranking sixth according to security researcher Troy Hunt.

In February 2016, a hacker stole member information for over 1,000 message forums that covered auto, sports and technology communities hosted by the company. The breach included usernames, passwords with weak encryption and IP addresses.

Many of these forums were running old versions of software with known security vulnerabilities that hackers were able to exploit. In response to the incident, they reset user passwords, enhanced password rules to require strong passwords and periodic password expiration, and engaged third-party vendors offering desktop and mobile plug-ins that would notify them in order that their own security teams could then investigate any issues.

Book a consultation

Want to discuss this case? You can purchase a 30 minute conference call with our analysts to discuss this case and the implications it has for your organisation. Just select the time and date that works for you:

Companies

  • VerticalScope Inc.

We've done the analysis so you can make the decisions

$489.99
When purchasing a minimum of 5 Case Studies
$699.99 if buying less than 5.

  • Detailed cause & effect analysis
  • Lessons learnt catalogued
  • Preventive controls extracted
Add to Cart
Heads up! Want to try before you buy? You can download our FREE demo case study here