What happened in the Avast data breach?
Twingate Team
•
Apr 4, 2024
Avast, a well-known antivirus software company, reported a security breach of its forum in 2014. The breach led to the unauthorized access of user information, including names, email addresses, and hashed passwords.
How many accounts were compromised?
Approximately 423,000 users were affected by the Avast forum breach.
What type of data was leaked?
The data compromised in the breach included usernames, email addresses, and passwords.
How was Avast hacked?
The breach occurred due to an external attack where the attackers gained unauthorized access to the forum's user database.
Avast’s response
Avast responded to the breach by temporarily shutting down the affected forum, resetting the passwords of all affected accounts, and enhancing their security measures to prevent future incidents. They also advised all affected users to change their passwords, especially if they used the same password on other sites.
How do I know if I was affected?
Users of the Avast forum who were notified by Avast about the breach or prompted to change their passwords around the time of the breach in 2014 should assume they were affected. Additionally, individuals can check platforms like HaveIBeenPwned to see if their data was involved in the breach.
What should affected users do?
Change Your Avast Forum Password: If you haven’t changed your password since the breach, do so immediately.
Update Passwords Elsewhere: If you used the same password on other sites, change those as well to prevent potential unauthorized access.
Monitor Account Activities: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activities.
Enhance Security Measures: Utilize strong, unique passwords for each account and consider using multi-factor authentication where possible.
For specific advice on the Avast hack, contact their support page directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
For more details on the Avast data breach, consider these sources:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
What happened in the Avast data breach?
Twingate Team
•
Apr 4, 2024
Avast, a well-known antivirus software company, reported a security breach of its forum in 2014. The breach led to the unauthorized access of user information, including names, email addresses, and hashed passwords.
How many accounts were compromised?
Approximately 423,000 users were affected by the Avast forum breach.
What type of data was leaked?
The data compromised in the breach included usernames, email addresses, and passwords.
How was Avast hacked?
The breach occurred due to an external attack where the attackers gained unauthorized access to the forum's user database.
Avast’s response
Avast responded to the breach by temporarily shutting down the affected forum, resetting the passwords of all affected accounts, and enhancing their security measures to prevent future incidents. They also advised all affected users to change their passwords, especially if they used the same password on other sites.
How do I know if I was affected?
Users of the Avast forum who were notified by Avast about the breach or prompted to change their passwords around the time of the breach in 2014 should assume they were affected. Additionally, individuals can check platforms like HaveIBeenPwned to see if their data was involved in the breach.
What should affected users do?
Change Your Avast Forum Password: If you haven’t changed your password since the breach, do so immediately.
Update Passwords Elsewhere: If you used the same password on other sites, change those as well to prevent potential unauthorized access.
Monitor Account Activities: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activities.
Enhance Security Measures: Utilize strong, unique passwords for each account and consider using multi-factor authentication where possible.
For specific advice on the Avast hack, contact their support page directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
For more details on the Avast data breach, consider these sources:
Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.
What happened in the Avast data breach?
Twingate Team
•
Apr 4, 2024
Avast, a well-known antivirus software company, reported a security breach of its forum in 2014. The breach led to the unauthorized access of user information, including names, email addresses, and hashed passwords.
How many accounts were compromised?
Approximately 423,000 users were affected by the Avast forum breach.
What type of data was leaked?
The data compromised in the breach included usernames, email addresses, and passwords.
How was Avast hacked?
The breach occurred due to an external attack where the attackers gained unauthorized access to the forum's user database.
Avast’s response
Avast responded to the breach by temporarily shutting down the affected forum, resetting the passwords of all affected accounts, and enhancing their security measures to prevent future incidents. They also advised all affected users to change their passwords, especially if they used the same password on other sites.
How do I know if I was affected?
Users of the Avast forum who were notified by Avast about the breach or prompted to change their passwords around the time of the breach in 2014 should assume they were affected. Additionally, individuals can check platforms like HaveIBeenPwned to see if their data was involved in the breach.
What should affected users do?
Change Your Avast Forum Password: If you haven’t changed your password since the breach, do so immediately.
Update Passwords Elsewhere: If you used the same password on other sites, change those as well to prevent potential unauthorized access.
Monitor Account Activities: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activities.
Enhance Security Measures: Utilize strong, unique passwords for each account and consider using multi-factor authentication where possible.
For specific advice on the Avast hack, contact their support page directly.
Where can I go to learn more?
For more details on the Avast data breach, consider these sources: