CoverItLive, the Demand
Media-owned liveblogging platform used by many outlets to cover major
events in real time, has just alerted their users of a potential data
compromise.
According to the
alert e-mail sent to CoverItLive customers, the company noticed that “certain
proprietary data files were accessed without authorization” beginning last
Saturday. While they say they’re currently unsure as to what exactly was
accessed (though they claim that payment details were definitely not), they
urge their users to change their passwords be it they use the same (possibly
exposed) password anywhere else. While they say that all user passwords are
encrypted, they do not say what sort of encryption (and thus what level of
security) was used.
The full text of the
e-mail follows:
CoveritLive recently
discovered that certain proprietary data files were accessed without
authorization starting on or about January 7, 2012. We have not yet determined
if, or to what extent, CoveritLive account information (i.e., user names, email
addresses and/or passwords) was accessed. We do know, however, that no
financial account information has been compromised.
Our investigation is
ongoing, and, as a precautionary measure, we will implement required password
resets for all active CoveritLive accounts. We plan for this process to begin
Saturday January 14, 2012 at 12 AM EDT (5 AM GMT). The next time you log in
after the process has begun, you will be asked to change your password before
you will be allowed into your account. NOTE: we do not anticipate that you will
experience a disruption in your event if you are using CoveritLive while the
change is invoked.
Your password and all
account passwords are encrypted as a standard CoveritLive information security
practice, and we have no evidence that an unauthorized individual has actually
retrieved, or is using such data. However, out of an abundance of caution we
recommend that if you registered for CoveritLive using an email address and
password combination that you use for other online accounts, you should
immediately create unique passwords or new login credentials for those other
sites and accounts.
We take this matter
very seriously and will continue to work to ensure that all appropriate
measures are taken to protect your personal information from unauthorized
access. We also would like to take this moment to remind you of a couple of
tips that should always be followed:
Do not open emails
from senders you do not know. Be especially cautious of “phishing” emails,
where the sender tries to trick the recipient into disclosing confidential or
personal information.
Do not share personal
or sensitive information via email. Legitimate companies will not attempt to collect
personal information outside of a secure website.
We regret any
inconvenience that this password change process may cause you. Please do not
hesitate to contact us at passwords@coveritlive.com if you have any questions.
