eBay has confirmed 8 hours ago they their databases have been hacked, and they not hiding the fact that the hackers got all of the usernames and passwords. SO, if the username and password you use for eBay is totally unique, then just change your password and you're good to go. They did not get into the PayPal layer. BUT, if your eBay password is the same one you use anywhere else, you need a new password in all of those places, because your username/password can and possibly will be tried eventually at some point. Hackers don't generally hand-type the info they steal, they sell it and/or run huge batch jobs trying and testing to see what will work.
I called eBay Customer Service to ask if the email addresses were also obtained by the hackers. They claim that they were NOT. I only partly believe that because generally a username and an email address will get stored in the same table, but even if they aren't, they almost certainly are stored in the same database that holds all of the tables of info. Hopefully what they say is true, because my eBay username is unique, not used on any other site, but my email and password certainly are. I expect that will be the case for a bunch of our NPN peers. Maddening.
Anybody interested in hosting password-changing parties? This is becoming a monthly event apparently.
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UPDATE, 9:30pm MST:
eBay posted an official announcement on their blog, and unfortunately I was right... the hackers got all of the standard member info: Name, physical address, phone numbers, email address, date of birth, and encrypted password (which can be unencrypted on an iPad in one hand while eating a bowl of corn flakes with the other, lol). Proper database design states to put similar info in the same areas, so it made no sense when the eBay CS Rep said that they didn't get emails.
Anyway, the problem widens if you've used your email address and password from eBay as the login for places like Amazon, etc, like I have. Again, it doesn't mean you'll definitely get your account compromised but it certainly can. SO! Happy password changing AGAIN!
Preston: take that barrel of vino that you mentioned below and go get the hackers drunk so they're too sloshed to keep aggravating everyone...
Discussion
2 repliesI called eBay Customer Service to ask if the email addresses were also obtained by the hackers. They claim that they were NOT. I only partly believe that because generally a username and an email address will get stored in the same table, but even if they aren't, they almost certainly are stored in the same database that holds all of the tables of info. Hopefully what they say is true, because my eBay username is unique, not used on any other site, but my email and password certainly are. I expect that will be the case for a bunch of our NPN peers. Maddening.
Anybody interested in hosting password-changing parties? This is becoming a monthly event apparently.
=============================
UPDATE, 9:30pm MST:
eBay posted an official announcement on their blog, and unfortunately I was right... the hackers got all of the standard member info: Name, physical address, phone numbers, email address, date of birth, and encrypted password (which can be unencrypted on an iPad in one hand while eating a bowl of corn flakes with the other, lol). Proper database design states to put similar info in the same areas, so it made no sense when the eBay CS Rep said that they didn't get emails.
Anyway, the problem widens if you've used your email address and password from eBay as the login for places like Amazon, etc, like I have. Again, it doesn't mean you'll definitely get your account compromised but it certainly can. SO! Happy password changing AGAIN!
Preston: take that barrel of vino that you mentioned below and go get the hackers drunk so they're too sloshed to keep aggravating everyone...
This stuff is getting soooo old!
I just changed my eBay password with no problem.
--P