Hackers Exploit ComiXology Security Breach, Password Change Required
By Nick Tylwalk
Even digital comics aren’t immune to hackers and security breaches.
Leading digital comics retailer comiXology announced today that an “unauthorized individual” had gained access to a company database that contains usernames, email addresses and encrypted versions of passwords. Though it says no payment information was stored on the affected database, users are being required to change their passwords as a precuation.
If you haven’t already, expect to see an email like this (though the links are removed here):
"Dear Comics Reader,In the course of a recent review and upgrade of our security infrastructure, we determined that an unauthorized individual accessed a database of ours that contained usernames, email addresses, and cryptographically protected passwords.Payment account information is not stored on our servers.Even though we store our passwords in protected form, as a precautionary measure we are requiring all users to change their passwords on the comiXology platform and recommend that you promptly change your password on any other website where you use the same or a similar password. You can reset your comiXology.com password here.We have taken additional steps to strengthen our security procedures and systems, and we will continue to implement improvements on an ongoing basis.Please note that we will never ask you for personal or account information in an e-mail, so exercise caution if you receive emails that ask for personal information or direct you to a site where you are asked to provide personal information.We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have any questions, please contact us by sending an email to support@comixology.comSincerely,ComiXology"
Unfortunately, that’s life in the digital age. ComiXology has a pretty solid reputation, so it’s easy to believe that it will strengthen security. You know the drill by now: make your passwords hard to guess and change them often. And if you want to keep reading your digital comics, you pretty much have to do it ASAP.