Freecycle.org, a platform that permits customers to recycle their belongings, has prompted hundreds of thousands of customers to reset their passwords after their credentials had been compromised in a data breach.
The non-profit group, which relies within the US however operates within the UK as properly, says it recognized the incident on August 30, and it has began sending notifications to its customers.
“The breach of information contains usernames, Consumer IDs, e mail addresses and passwords,” Freecycle says in an incident discover on its web site. The passwords had been hashed, the platform stated within the e mail notification despatched to customers, a duplicate of which was posted on social media.
In keeping with the group, no different private info except for the uncovered credentials was compromised through the incident.
“We’re advising all members to vary their passwords as quickly as doable. We apologize for the inconvenience and would ask that you just watch this area for additional pending background,” a message from Freecycle Community’s government director Deron Beal reads.
The group gives detailed directions on how customers can reset their passwords and advises them to make it possible for any reused passwords are reset on all different on-line platforms as properly.
Following the data breach, Freecycle says, customers may begin receiving extra spam of their mailboxes. The leaked information may additionally be utilized in phishing assaults.
What the group has not revealed, nonetheless, was how the attackers gained entry to its methods or what number of of its roughly 11 million customers may be impacted.
In keeping with screenshots that the alleged Freecycle hacker posted two months in the past, greater than 7 million people may need been affected by the incident. The hacker reportedly used stolen credentials to entry the information.
Freecycle says it has knowledgeable the related authorities within the UK and the US concerning the data breach.
