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What happened in the Taobao data breach?

What happened in the Taobao data breach?

Twingate Team

May 13, 2024

In 2012, the Chinese shopping site Taobao experienced a data breach that affected a large number of subscribers. The breach was discovered on January 1, 2012, and added to the database on October 8, 2016. Due to the difficulty of verifying the Chinese breach, it has been flagged as "unverified" 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 21 million users.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included email addresses and plain text passwords, compromising the security of affected users' accounts.

How was Taobao hacked?

In the Taobao data breach, a developer working for an affiliate marketer created crawler software to scrape customer data, including usernames and mobile numbers, from the Chinese shopping site over an eight-month period. The developer and his employer were later sentenced to three years in prison. In response to the breach, Taobao stated that it devotes substantial resources to combat unauthorized scraping and proactively discovered and addressed the issue. The company also pledged to continue working with law enforcement to protect its users and partners.

Taobao's solution

In response to the alleged hack, Taobao took several measures to enhance its security and prevent future incidents. The company devoted substantial resources to combat unauthorized scraping and proactively discovered and addressed the issue. Taobao also worked closely with law enforcement to protect its users and partners, ensuring a more secure platform for its subscribers.

How do I know if I was affected?

It is not mentioned whether Taobao reached out to affected users. If you believe you may have been affected by the breach, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check your credentials.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

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

  • 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.

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

For specific advice on Taobao's data breach, contact Taobao's Customer Service directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Taobao 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 Taobao data breach?

What happened in the Taobao data breach?

Twingate Team

May 13, 2024

In 2012, the Chinese shopping site Taobao experienced a data breach that affected a large number of subscribers. The breach was discovered on January 1, 2012, and added to the database on October 8, 2016. Due to the difficulty of verifying the Chinese breach, it has been flagged as "unverified" 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 21 million users.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included email addresses and plain text passwords, compromising the security of affected users' accounts.

How was Taobao hacked?

In the Taobao data breach, a developer working for an affiliate marketer created crawler software to scrape customer data, including usernames and mobile numbers, from the Chinese shopping site over an eight-month period. The developer and his employer were later sentenced to three years in prison. In response to the breach, Taobao stated that it devotes substantial resources to combat unauthorized scraping and proactively discovered and addressed the issue. The company also pledged to continue working with law enforcement to protect its users and partners.

Taobao's solution

In response to the alleged hack, Taobao took several measures to enhance its security and prevent future incidents. The company devoted substantial resources to combat unauthorized scraping and proactively discovered and addressed the issue. Taobao also worked closely with law enforcement to protect its users and partners, ensuring a more secure platform for its subscribers.

How do I know if I was affected?

It is not mentioned whether Taobao reached out to affected users. If you believe you may have been affected by the breach, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check your credentials.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

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

  • 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.

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

For specific advice on Taobao's data breach, contact Taobao's Customer Service directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

If you want to find more information on the Taobao 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 Taobao data breach?

Twingate Team

May 13, 2024

In 2012, the Chinese shopping site Taobao experienced a data breach that affected a large number of subscribers. The breach was discovered on January 1, 2012, and added to the database on October 8, 2016. Due to the difficulty of verifying the Chinese breach, it has been flagged as "unverified" 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 21 million users.

What data was leaked?

The data exposed in the breach included email addresses and plain text passwords, compromising the security of affected users' accounts.

How was Taobao hacked?

In the Taobao data breach, a developer working for an affiliate marketer created crawler software to scrape customer data, including usernames and mobile numbers, from the Chinese shopping site over an eight-month period. The developer and his employer were later sentenced to three years in prison. In response to the breach, Taobao stated that it devotes substantial resources to combat unauthorized scraping and proactively discovered and addressed the issue. The company also pledged to continue working with law enforcement to protect its users and partners.

Taobao's solution

In response to the alleged hack, Taobao took several measures to enhance its security and prevent future incidents. The company devoted substantial resources to combat unauthorized scraping and proactively discovered and addressed the issue. Taobao also worked closely with law enforcement to protect its users and partners, ensuring a more secure platform for its subscribers.

How do I know if I was affected?

It is not mentioned whether Taobao reached out to affected users. If you believe you may have been affected by the breach, you can visit HaveIBeenPwned to check your credentials.

What should affected users do?

In general, affected users should:

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

  • 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.

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

For specific advice on Taobao's data breach, contact Taobao's Customer Service directly.

Where can I go to learn more?

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