Plex Data Breach Exposes Users Sensitive Information
Streaming media platform Plex sent out an email to its customers notifying them of a security breach that may have compromised account information, including usernames, email addresses, and passwords.
Plex stated, “all account passwords that could have been accessed were hashed and secured in accordance with best practices,” however they’re still advising all users to change their passwords immediately.
Plex is one of the largest media server apps available, used by around 20 million people to stream video, audio, and photos, they upload themselves, providing an increasing variety of content to paid subscribers.
Their email stated, “We discovered suspicious activity on one of our databases. We immediately began an investigation and it does appear that a third-party was able to access a limited subset of data that includes emails, usernames, and encrypted passwords.”
There is no indication any other personal account information has been compromised. There’s no mention of access to private media libraries (which may or may not include pirated content, private nudes, and other sensitive content) having been accessed in the breach.
Plex’s email also reassures customers that financial information appears to be safe despite the breach, stating, “credit card and other payment data are not stored on our servers at all and were not vulnerable in this incident.”
The cause of the breach has been found, and Plex says it has taken action to prevent others from taking advantage of the same security flaw. They have also done additional reviews to ensure that the security of all their systems is further hardened to prevent future incursions.
If you have a Plex account, you should take steps to secure it immediately, following these instructions provided by the company. You should also enable two-factor authentication if you haven’t already. Plex puts the 2FA/ MFA option under your Account page.
Additionally, you should be using either a free or paid password manager to easily manage unique, difficult-to-guess passwords and 2FA/ MFA codes across all your apps, services, and sites.
Web browsers such as Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Safari have decent built-in options, dedicated services are also available. Check out our blog “Best Password Manager 2022: Secure Your Business” to find the best option for you!
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