eBay Warns Customers to Change Passwords after Database Hacked

eBay Warns Customers to Change Passwords after Database Hacked
EBay have asked customers to change their passwords after a database containing personal information was cracked by hackers, according to a statement released on Wednesday.

The database contained encrypted passwords and was compromised in late February into March. The hacked database contained customer information including phone numbers, birth dates, and email addresses. It did not include financial information, the online auction site said. “Cyber attackers compromised a small number of employee log-in credentials, allowing unauthorized access to eBay’s corporate network,” the company said in a statement. EBay has seen “no evidence of any unauthorized access to financial or credit card information, which is stored separately in encrypted formats.”

The breach was discovered about two weeks ago, according to eBay, leading to a probe that identified the hacked database.

EBay users will be contacted by the company on Wednesday asking them to change their passwords. A notice asking users to change their eBay passwords was first posted on the company website for PayPal, which is owned by eBay and handles its online payments.

Users who use the same password on eBay and other websites should change their passwords on all sites, the company said.

PayPal released a statement saying that an investigation has not uncovered any evidence that information for its customers was hacked. “PayPal customer and financial data is encrypted and stored separately, and PayPal never shares financial information with merchants, including eBay,” PayPal said.