Posted by sueharke on 4/26/13 11:40pm
Msg #467377

Protect your online accounts after major hack

I received this alert from Kim Komando at 9:30 pm on 04/26/13. Her website is "http://www.kimkomando.com"
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Protect your online accounts after major hack

Amazon-owned daily deals site LivingSocial has suffered a massive security breach. Names, emails, birth dates and password information for an estimated 50 million users were stolen!

If you use the LivingSocial site you will need to reset your password immediately.

For those who haven't used the site recently, but still have an active account, you will need to log in and change your password as well.

If you logged into LivingSocial any time in the past, it's possible the name, birth date, email address and password you used are in the hands of hackers. If you used that password for any other online accounts, you need to change the password on those accounts immediately.

Learn my trick for creating a strong, memorable password.

While you're in your accounts, review your security questions. If a hacker has your name and birth date, they might be able to guess your security question. Or they might be able to research enough information about you online to guess it.

Read my tip on making strong security questions that hackers can't answer.

If a hacker does take over your account before you can stop them, learn how to take it back.

LivingSocial members should have received or will be receiving a notice about the breach from LivingSocial. The subject line should be "An important update on your LivingSocial.com account," and the email won't contain any links.

Hackers will be taking advantage of the confusion and sending out fake emails, so be careful. Don't click on any links in any email claiming to be from LivingSocial. They will most likely be links to malicious sites.

Instead, visit LivingSocial manually to change your password.

Learn more about detecting scam emails claiming to be from major companies.

If you don't use LivingSocial but know friends or family who might, be sure to forward this email to them.

Stay up-to-date on the latest data breachs and cyberattacks with my continually updated Breaking News page. I even update it on the weekends!

Reply by snowflake/PA on 4/27/13 4:28am
Msg #467391

Thanks for the info. My personal email account was hacked

& I received over 43,000 emails in a few days time. I corrected the problem and have reset my password.

Reply by ToniK on 4/27/13 9:00am
Msg #467404

I wonder how this affects those of us who use facebook to log in? Should I change my facebook password?

Reply by jba/fl on 4/27/13 9:56am
Msg #467412

You know Toni - it won't hurt to change periodically. n/m

Reply by sueharke on 4/27/13 11:09am
Msg #467420

If it is not a unique password that has not been used before you may be ok. If it is not a strong password, then you might consider changing it.

Reply by ToniK on 4/27/13 11:35am
Msg #467421

I used to work for the FBI, so my password follows the FBI standard which is VERY strong. Lol

But with the linking of Facebook on most sites, most ppl just login with Facebook to access sites. Makes it easier and saves time on filling out registration on each site.

Reply by ikando on 4/27/13 4:25pm
Msg #467454

I've downloaded LastPass, which generates unique passwords for sites I visit. It has an option to be able to "carry" it with you if you use multiple computers, as I do, so you can login to whatever you need to without remembering the passwords.

Reply by ikando on 4/27/13 4:27pm
Msg #467455

Here's what LivingSocial's CEO wrote:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION
LivingSocial recently experienced a cyber-attack on our computer systems that resulted in unauthorized access to some customer data from our servers. We are actively working with law enforcement to investigate this issue.

The information accessed includes names, email addresses, date of birth for some users, and encrypted passwords -- technically ‘hashed’ and ‘salted’ passwords. We never store passwords in plain text.

Two things you should know:
1. The database that stores customer credit card information was not affected or accessed.
2. If you connect to LivingSocial using Facebook Connect, your Facebook credentials were not compromised.

You do not need to take any action at this time, but we wanted to be sure you were fully informed of what happened.

The security of your information is our priority. We always strive to ensure the security of our customer information, and we are redoubling efforts to prevent any issues in the future.
Please note that LivingSocial will never ask you directly for personal or account information in an email. We will always direct you to the LivingSocial website – and require you to login – before making any changes to your account. Please disregard any emails claiming to be from LivingSocial that request such information or direct you to a website that asks for such information.

If you have additional questions about this process, the "Create New Password" button on LivingSocial.com will direct you to a page that has instructions on creating a new password and answers to frequently asked questions.

We are sorry this incident occurred, and we look forward to continuing to introduce you to new and exciting things to do in your community.

Sincerely,
Tim O'Shaughnessy, CEO