Zappos Warns Hacked Customers to Beware of Phishing Scams
Over 24 million user accounts were compromised at Zappos.com, and the company is now warning its account holders to be extra cautious moving forward.
Based on the information that is currently available, it doesn't appear as though the hacking incident that occurred at Zappos.com yielded critical pieces of information like passwords or complete credit card numbers. But sensitive information was certainly obtained, including e-mail addresses, names, physical addresses, etc. Certainly more than enough information for would-be scammers to try to solicit further information and action from unsuspecting consumers.
Allegedly, the account passwords that were stolen had been cryptographically scrambled, so the thieves would not be able to see the actual passwords. Of course, one can only wonder how difficult it would be for the hackers to simply unscramble the passwords, if they've already gone through all the effort necessary to hack into the system in the first place. Security experts admitted as much, noting that hackers could decipher many of the passwords very quickly and that the technology required to do so was readily available, especially in those circles.
Another alarming component of the Zappos hack is that user phone numbers were also obtained. So scammers could actually call, text or leave voice messages, pretending to be from a legitimate company with whom the consumer has had previous dealings. It's at that point that even savvy consumers might be duped into believing that the scammers were legitimate.
Zappos has advised anyone who holds an account with the company to avoid clicking on any e-mails from credit card companies or other institutions who may be asking for various forms of identity confirmation.
Allegedly, the account passwords that were stolen had been cryptographically scrambled, so the thieves would not be able to see the actual passwords. Of course, one can only wonder how difficult it would be for the hackers to simply unscramble the passwords, if they've already gone through all the effort necessary to hack into the system in the first place. Security experts admitted as much, noting that hackers could decipher many of the passwords very quickly and that the technology required to do so was readily available, especially in those circles.
Another alarming component of the Zappos hack is that user phone numbers were also obtained. So scammers could actually call, text or leave voice messages, pretending to be from a legitimate company with whom the consumer has had previous dealings. It's at that point that even savvy consumers might be duped into believing that the scammers were legitimate.
Zappos has advised anyone who holds an account with the company to avoid clicking on any e-mails from credit card companies or other institutions who may be asking for various forms of identity confirmation.
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