23M CafePress Accounts Compromised: Here’s How You Can Stay Secure
You’ve probably heard of CafePress, a custom T-shirt and merchandise company allowing users to create their own unique apparel and gifts. With a plethora of users looking to make their own creative swag, it’s no surprise that the company was recently targeted in a cybercriminal ploy. According to Forbes, CafePress experienced a data breach back in February that exposed over 23 million records including unique email addresses, names, physical addresses, phone numbers, and passwords.
How exactly did this breach occur? While this information is still a bit unclear, security researcher Jim Scott stated that approximately half of the breached passwords had been exposed through gaps in an encryption method called base64 SHA1. As a result, the breach database service HaveIBeenPwned sent out an email notification to those affected letting them know that their information had been compromised. According to Engadget, about 77% of the email addresses in the breach have shown up in previous breach alerts on HaveIBeenPwned.
Scott stated that those who used CafePress through third-party applications like Facebook or Amazon did not have their passwords compromised. And even though third-party platform users are safe from this breach, this isn’t always the case. With data breaches becoming more common, it’s important for users to protect their information as best as they can. Check out the following tips to help users defend their data:
- Check to see if you’ve been affected. If you know you’ve made purchases through CafePress recently, use this tool to check if you could have been potentially affected.
- Place a fraud alert. If you suspect that your data might have been compromised, place a fraud alert on your credit. This not only ensures that any new or recent requests undergo scrutiny, but also allows you to have extra copies of your credit report so you can check for suspicious activity.
- Consider using identity theft protection. A solution like McAfee Identify Theft Protection will help you to monitor your accounts and alert you of any suspicious activity.
And, of course, stay on top of the latest consumer and mobile security threats by following me and @McAfee_Home on Twitter, listen to our podcast Hackable?, and ‘Like’ us on Facebook.
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