If you’ve been using news aggregator app Flipboard, you might want to reset your passwords as a precautionary measure. They have admitted that there were two data breaches for the past year or so, between June 2018 and April 2019. They engaged a third-party security firm to look into the incident and in response, they have reset all user passwords even though not all of the accounts were actually involved. Still, it would be best to manually reset your password just to be sure that nothing untoward will happen in the future.
Flipboard admits that there were two unauthorized access to some of their databases, with the first occurring between June 2, 2018 and March 23, 2019 and the second one last April 21-22, 2019. The result of their investigation shows that someone accessed and “potentially obtained” copies of databases that had Flipboard user information like account information, name, cryptographically protected password, and email address.
They are still in the process of identifying which accounts were involved but even though there isn’t sensitive information like credit card details or government issued ID information, they still made it a point to reset all user passwords. If you’re using Flipboard on devices previously and you’re already logged in, you can still continue doing so.
But if you’re accessing it from a new device or if you log out and then re-log in, you will be prompted to create a new password. As part of their enhanced security measures, they have also disconnected tokens used for third-party accounts and replaced digital tokens or deleted them altogether if applicable.
Even though the information that was breached may not be so important, it’s still a good idea to change your password just to make sure your account information won’t be used for other nefarious purposes. And again, it’s always a good idea to regularly change your passwords or even use a password manager.
