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What happened in the Comcast data breach?

What happened in the Comcast data breach?

Twingate Team

May 23, 2024

In November 2015, Comcast, a US internet and cable TV provider, experienced a data breach that impacted a large number of their customers. The incident involved unauthorized access to customer information, which was subsequently sold on underground forums. The breach raised concerns about data privacy and the security measures in place to protect sensitive information.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to approximately 617,000 individuals.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, passwords, physical addresses, and other sensitive customer information.

How was Comcast hacked?

In the 2015 Comcast data breach, cyber attackers exploited a vulnerability in Citrix software, which affected nearly 590,000 customer accounts. The hackers gained access to Comcast's systems by exploiting a critical-rated, unpatched security vulnerability in the software. This breach led to the exposure of customer email addresses, plain text passwords, and for some, home addresses, with the entire data set being sold on underground forums.

Comcast's solution

In response to the hack, Comcast took several measures to secure its platform and prevent future incidents. This included patching and mitigating the vulnerability in the Citrix software used by Xfinity and thousands of other companies worldwide. Comcast notified customers of the attack through its website and by email, advising all Xfinity customers to reset their usernames and passwords. Additionally, Xfinity encouraged subscribers to use two-factor authentication to secure their accounts and recommended that customers change passwords for other accounts where they used the same username and password or security question.

How do I know if I was affected?

Comcast notified customers believed to be affected by the breach. If you're a Comcast customer and haven't received a notification, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check your credentials.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  1. Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  2. Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

  4. Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report it immediately to the respective platform.

For more specific help and instructions related to Comcast's data breach, please contact Xfinity Customer Service directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Comcast data breach, check out the following news articles:

Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.

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What happened in the Comcast data breach?

What happened in the Comcast data breach?

Twingate Team

May 23, 2024

In November 2015, Comcast, a US internet and cable TV provider, experienced a data breach that impacted a large number of their customers. The incident involved unauthorized access to customer information, which was subsequently sold on underground forums. The breach raised concerns about data privacy and the security measures in place to protect sensitive information.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to approximately 617,000 individuals.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, passwords, physical addresses, and other sensitive customer information.

How was Comcast hacked?

In the 2015 Comcast data breach, cyber attackers exploited a vulnerability in Citrix software, which affected nearly 590,000 customer accounts. The hackers gained access to Comcast's systems by exploiting a critical-rated, unpatched security vulnerability in the software. This breach led to the exposure of customer email addresses, plain text passwords, and for some, home addresses, with the entire data set being sold on underground forums.

Comcast's solution

In response to the hack, Comcast took several measures to secure its platform and prevent future incidents. This included patching and mitigating the vulnerability in the Citrix software used by Xfinity and thousands of other companies worldwide. Comcast notified customers of the attack through its website and by email, advising all Xfinity customers to reset their usernames and passwords. Additionally, Xfinity encouraged subscribers to use two-factor authentication to secure their accounts and recommended that customers change passwords for other accounts where they used the same username and password or security question.

How do I know if I was affected?

Comcast notified customers believed to be affected by the breach. If you're a Comcast customer and haven't received a notification, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check your credentials.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  1. Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  2. Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

  4. Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report it immediately to the respective platform.

For more specific help and instructions related to Comcast's data breach, please contact Xfinity Customer Service directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Comcast data breach, check out the following news articles:

Rapidly implement a modern Zero Trust network that is more secure and maintainable than VPNs.

What happened in the Comcast data breach?

Twingate Team

May 23, 2024

In November 2015, Comcast, a US internet and cable TV provider, experienced a data breach that impacted a large number of their customers. The incident involved unauthorized access to customer information, which was subsequently sold on underground forums. The breach raised concerns about data privacy and the security measures in place to protect sensitive information.

How many accounts were compromised?

The breach impacted data related to approximately 617,000 individuals.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included email addresses, passwords, physical addresses, and other sensitive customer information.

How was Comcast hacked?

In the 2015 Comcast data breach, cyber attackers exploited a vulnerability in Citrix software, which affected nearly 590,000 customer accounts. The hackers gained access to Comcast's systems by exploiting a critical-rated, unpatched security vulnerability in the software. This breach led to the exposure of customer email addresses, plain text passwords, and for some, home addresses, with the entire data set being sold on underground forums.

Comcast's solution

In response to the hack, Comcast took several measures to secure its platform and prevent future incidents. This included patching and mitigating the vulnerability in the Citrix software used by Xfinity and thousands of other companies worldwide. Comcast notified customers of the attack through its website and by email, advising all Xfinity customers to reset their usernames and passwords. Additionally, Xfinity encouraged subscribers to use two-factor authentication to secure their accounts and recommended that customers change passwords for other accounts where they used the same username and password or security question.

How do I know if I was affected?

Comcast notified customers believed to be affected by the breach. If you're a Comcast customer and haven't received a notification, you may visit Have I Been Pwned to check your credentials.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

  1. Change Your Password: Immediately update your password for the breached account. Make sure the new password is strong and unique, not previously used on any other platform.

  2. Reset Passwords for Other Accounts: If you've used the same or similar passwords for other online accounts, reset those as well. This is crucial as attackers often try using stolen passwords on multiple sites.

  3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Activate 2FA on the breached account. Consider enabling this additional security feature on all other important online accounts to significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

  4. Monitor Your Accounts: Keep an eye on your accounts for any suspicious activity and report it immediately to the respective platform.

For more specific help and instructions related to Comcast's data breach, please contact Xfinity Customer Service directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Comcast data breach, check out the following news articles: