Technology website CNET has become the latest high-profile victim of hacking, with more than a million users’ usernames and passwords stolen.
The CBS Interactive owned website – which recorded 27.1 million unique users in the US alone last month – has been the target of the Russian hacker group w0rm.
Although CNET was originally informed about the hack via a Twitter conversation with the unlawful intruders, the company has stated that it has now “identified the issue and resolved it.”
Suggesting that only “a few servers were accessed,” the publisher added: “We will continue to monitor [the situation].”
Fortunately for users, it appears that the hackers do not have any dastardly plans for the stolen data.
Although w0rm reportedly offered to sell the database of usernames and encrypted passwords for a single Bitcoin – £363 – the hackers have stated that they simply wanted to gain attention with the hack, “nothing more”.
A w0rm representative added: “[W]e are driven to make the Internet a better and safer [place] rather than a desire to protect copyright.”
Speaking with CNET, Robert Hansen, a web security expert at White Hat Secturity, looked to the positives of the hack – if there are any.
“It definitely can feel like a slap in the face to an organization to be hacked, but in reality, most of the time in circumstances like this it’s actually a good thing,” he said.
“w0rm was careful not to give the full path to the actual exploit, and informed the general public that the compromise occurred.”
If you’re signed up to any of CNET’s subscription services or newsletters, we would recommend changing your passwords anyway.
Read More: Kaspersky PURE 3.0 Total Security review
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
