eBay victim of historic data breach

Those who use eBay for any reason have been advised to think about changing their passwords, in the wake of the online retailer admitting that user data has been compromised. The breach is considered to be the second worst ever to have occurred in the US.

Online security experts feel that eBay should be more vocal, as the company has revealed little with regards to how it let hackers access its databases.

It was discovered, however, that invaders managed to access details of potentially 128m users up to three months ago, although the breach was only recently found.

The firm told the Telegraph:

“Our customers are our highest priority; and to ensure they continue to have a safe, secure and trusted experience on eBay, we will be asking all eBay users to change their passwords.”

Experts claim that the company is considered a worthy target by hackers due to how popular it is and its huge membership base, which gives it high pay day potential for cyber thieves.

The firm claimed, however, that there is no evidence that any unauthorised activity occurred on any user accounts. Further, it said that data held by PayPal, its money transfer website, was not breached.

Despite this, eBay asked users to change passwords whilst promising to improve security on the website.

While a regular business may not have the same financial potential for cyber criminals, many target companies of all sizes, meaning that all business owners need to have some sort of protection in place. In response to news of the eBay breach, some will no doubt ramp up their IT security recruitment, ensuring that the right staff are in place to deal with any possible threats.