Washington Post Nailed by Hackers; Account Info Leaked

On Thursday last week, the Washington Post admitted the Jobs section of its website had been hacked in June, a breach that led to the theft of 1.27 million user log-ins and email addresses. (Source: pcworld.com)

According to the Post, an "unauthorized third party" laid siege to the employment opportunities section of its website and on two occasions (June 27 and June 28) was able to access user information.

Although log-in names and email addresses were lost, the Washington Post emphasizes that no passwords were stolen and that other personal information remained unaffected by the attack.

Spam Spike Likely in Wake of Attack

While the company assured its users that their "Jobs accounts remain secure," it did warn them that they may receive more spam emails in the future. (Source: pcmag.com)

The number of users affected remains only a guess, but the Post says it's "roughly 1.27 million." It's also not yet fully clear how hackers gained access to the site and what vulnerabilities the newspaper now needs to address.

Law Enforcement Investigating Breach

Nevertheless, the Post is patting itself on the back for what it characterizes as a rapid response.

"We quickly identified the attack and took action to shut it down," the paper said in a recent announcement on the subject. Although it's not known for certain how the Post will prevent a further attack, it assured all that it had "implemented additional measures to prevent against a similar act in the future."

The Post says it is also working with law enforcement agencies to discover who might have been responsible for the breach. (Source: wsj.com)

The attack comes only days after Fox News' Twitter account was infiltrated by hackers who thereafter made false claims that Barack Obama had been killed.