Cyber Attack News

Online auction giant eBay Inc. said early Wednesday it was hit by a cyber attack and that, as a precautionary measure, it is asking its 145 million active users to change their passwords, because hackers had infiltrated a database containing encrypted passwords and other non-financial personal data.

In a statement on its website, the company said the attack that occurred in late February and March compromised “a small number of employee log-in credentials, allowing unauthorized access to eBay's corporate network.”

The attackers then used those credentials to access a database that included eBay customer names, encrypted passwords, e-mail addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth. The company stressed that credit card and other financial data, including that of its PayPal subsidiary, were not compromised.