Web.com and its subsidiaries Network Solutions and Register.com, which are some of the world’s biggest domain registrars, recently disclosed a data breach that may have resulted in the theft of customer information.
The companies said they became aware of the breach on October 16, but the intrusion apparently took place in late August 2019. The hackers accessed a “limited number” of computer systems that gave them access to account information for current and former customers.
Web.com told SecurityWeek that its investigation indicates that roughly 22 million records for current and former Network Solutions, Register.com and Web.com accounts may have been accessed.
The exposed information includes name, address, phone number, email address, and details about the services used by a customer. The companies said payment card information was not compromised as a result of the incident.
“We store credit card numbers in a PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliant encryption standard and do not believe your credit card information is vulnerable as a specific result of this incident. That said, it is good practice to monitor your credit card account and we encourage you to notify your credit card provider if you see any suspicious charges,” the companies explained.
The registrars do not appear to have found any evidence to suggest that account passwords have been compromised, but they have decided to require all users to reset their passwords, a decision described as a precautionary measure.
Network Solutions, Web.com and Register.com have started notifying impacted customers via email and their websites, and they have also reported the incident to federal authorities. A cybersecurity firm has been called in to help determine the scope of the hacker attack.
Web.com informed customers in August 2015 that hackers had managed to steal personal information and credit cards associated with approximately 93,000 accounts after breaching a server.
Network Solutions also disclosed a data breach, involving over half a million payment cards, but the incident occurred in 2009, before the firm was acquired by Web.com.
*article and headline updated with information on the number of accounts affected; also adding information on Web.com and Register.com breach notices
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Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is a managing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.
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