Neopets company published details about the data breach incident that was recently disclosed, which revealed personal information of more than 69 million members.
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The findings of the investigation that began on July 20, 2022, revealed that the attackers had access to the Neopets company's IT systems from January 3, 2021, to July 19, 2022.
The company learned about the breach because a hacker offered to sell a Neopets database for four bitcoins.
The hacker claimed that the database contained 460 MB of source code and sensitive personal information of 69 million members.
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An update from the company on Monday confirmed the hacker's claims, saying:
"We have determined that for past and present Neopets players, the affected information may include data provided when registering or playing Neopets, such as name, email address, username, date of birth, gender, IP address, Neopets PIN, hashed password, as well as data about a player's pet, game, and other information provided to Neopets."
«For players who played before 2015, the information could include non-hashed, but inactive passwords», the company added.
Neopets has taken a series of measures to improve the security of its systems and to minimize the impact that future incidents would have on players.
The company says it has improved network monitoring to detect threats and has strengthened authentication control systems for better account access protection.
Passwords have been reset and Neopets is now working on implementing multi-factor as an added layer of defense.
Finally, the announcement recommends that all Neopets players change their passwords if they also use them on online platforms or services.
Neopets players should remain vigilant for emails that urge them to take immediate action or ask them to provide sensitive information, such as that related to bank accounts.
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What is the Neopets game?
Neopets, which was launched by the British game designers Adam Powell and Donna Williams in 1999, became a global phenomenon in the early 2000s. It is aimed at children, primarily allowing users to adopt, feed, and play with fantastical pets that lived in the virtual «Neopia».
Source of information: bleepingcomputer.com
