Three-Pronged Web Service Data Breach A Cause for Alarm

Three web services recently suffered a web service data breach in August. The news broke from Krebs On Security that users of Network Solutions, Register.com and Web.com may have received notice that an unauthorized user was able to gain access to certain important pieces of information from users’ accounts.

Domain Registration Websites

The three companies in question have a very important place in the online business world. They register website domain names, which means that if you create a website, they may hold the key data around that website. This web service data breach is particularly alarming if your website had sensitive information about the owners—including names, email addresses, phone numbers and physical addresses—which may have been compromised. Sensitive websites might be political in nature, may involve children’s photographs or identifying features or might pertain to marginalized communities of people.

Change Your Password Immediately

So far, Web.com, which owns both of the other two registration companies, has only issued a blanket warning to customers to change their passwords. The web service data breach notification is available on a separate section of their website, but none of the companies list this important announcement on their home pages.

If you have registered a website via any of these companies, it is important to change your password right away. However, even if you have not used one of them, it is encouraged to take this time to go to your domain registration company and change your password for good measure.

Watch For More Sophisticated Phishing Emails

Phishing attacks are another serious concern from breaches like the web service data breach. Hackers use or sell your email information in order to flood you with spam emails, mass marketing and fraud attempts. It would be easy for someone to create a fake email that appears to come from one of these companies and then send you an email demanding your login credentials or financial information. Be on the lookout for these kinds of approaches, and know how to respond to a potentially harmful email or text message.

Contact the Identity Theft Resource Center for toll-free, no-cost assistance at 888.400.5530. For on-the-go assistance, check out the free ID Theft Help App from ITRC.

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