Neopets data breach exposes data of 69 million accounts

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Neopets data breach Overview:

• Who: Tens of millions of Neopets members may be affected by a data breach.
• Why: A hacker reportedly stole the database and source code for the website, which contains account information for more than 69 million members.
• Where: The data breach affects members of the virtual pet website worldwide.

A Neopets data breach has compromised the information of 69 million users, The Verge reports.

Neopets is a website that was launched in 1999 and allows members to care for virtual pets. 

On July 20, Neopets tweeted it “recently became aware that customer data may have been stolen” and that it was investigating the hack. The site says it hired a leading forensic firm to assist in the investigation.

Hacker claims responsibility for Neopets data breach

The Verge cites a post on BleepingComputer that states that a hacker called TarTarX was seeking 4 Bitcoins for the data on a hacking forum. This price is reportedly equivalent to about $94,000.

TarTarX reportedly told BleepingComputer that they stole the database and source code for the Neopets website, which allegedly contains account information of more than 69 million users.

Information compromised in the data breach may include usernames, emails, passwords, birthdates, ZIP codes, gender and country. Neopets users should be cautious because this information could be used for phishing scams or other fraud, BleepingComputer reports.

The hacker reportedly did not attempt to sell the data back to the Neopets owner for a ransom, opting instead to sell the data to interested buyers.

It may be insufficient to change a password at this time because the hackers may still have access to the Neopets servers. However, users who use the same password for Neopets they use for other websites are advised to change those passwords, according to BleepingComputer. 

BleepingComputer notes a 2012 Neopets data breach led to user data being circulated online in 2016. Tens of millions of members may have been affected by this data breach.

The site has also been affected by other security breaches.

In 2020, security researchers reportedly found administrators’ credentials had been included in sections of code that were discovered by hackers, who offered the Neopets codebase for sale online.

A 2015 class action lawsuit alleged the virtual pet website violated California law by automatically renewing customer memberships without providing the terms of its automatic renewal policy in a clear and conspicuous manner.

Has your information been compromised in the Neopets data breach? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!

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