If you have an eBay account, you should change your password as soon as possible.
The company experienced a breach in security through a hacked employee account a few months ago, resulting in exposed data containing information on customers.
In a press release, the online auction company says it will be alerting its customers via email and other communication channels. “Information security and customer data protection are of paramount importance to eBay Inc., and eBay regrets any inconvenience or concern that this password reset may cause our customers. We know our customers trust us with their information, and we take seriously our commitment to maintaining a safe, secure and trusted global marketplace,” the company says.
The customer database was compromised “between late February and early March,” and didn’t contain any financial information, according to eBay. It did have other pieces of important information, however, including “eBay customers’ names, encrypted passwords, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth.”
Credit cards, bank accounts, and other pieces of financial information are stored separately in a different encryption format, leaving it untouchable to the hackers.
If you’re worried about your eBay account making fraudulent purchases, you can rest easy. The company says it hasn’t noticed any uptick in illegal activity since the break in, which was noticed only two weeks ago.