ICANN.org Passwords Reset Following Service Provider Breach

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has issued another security warning after login credentials for the ICANN.org website were compromised.

According to the Internet gatekeeper, an “unauthorized person” obtained usernames/email addresses and password hashes for profile accounts created by users on ICANN.org. These profiles contain information such as public bios, interests, newsletter subscriptions, and user preferences.

ICANN says the password hashes are not easy to crack and there is no evidence that the stolen information has been used to access user profiles. However, as a precaution, the organization is requiring account owners to change their passwords. Users are instructed to create new passwords by accessing the “forgot password” page next time they log in to ICANN.org.

ICANN revealed that the login credentials were compromised within the last week after the systems of an external service provider were breached. The agency says there is no indication that its own systems have been breached.

“No operational information, financial data or IANA systems were involved,” ICANN said.

ICANN has issued several security alerts over the past months. The organization revealed in December that some of its systems were breached after employees fell victim to a spear phishing attack. ICANN said the attackers had not managed to access its most critical systems.

In late February, the gatekeeper took its new gTLD Applicant and GDD (Global Domains Division) portals offline after learning of a vulnerability that could have been leveraged to view users’ data. ICANN later determined that the flaw had been exploited by unauthorized users.