Popular WordPress hosting service WP Engine informed customers this week that their credentials may have been compromised in a security breach. Only few details have been provided about the incident as the investigation, conducted in collaboration with law enforcement and a “leading” cybersecurity firm, is ongoing. WP Engine became aware of the breach on December 9 and customers were first notified later that day. The company says that while there is no evidence the exposed information has been misused, passwords associated with WP Engine accounts have been reset. These include passwords for the WP Engine user portal, SFTP, the original WP-Admin account, password-protected installs and transferable installs, and the WordPress database. Users have been contacted and provided instructions on how to reset their passwords. The WordPress database passwords will be automatically reset by WP Engine. Many have complained about the lack of details from WP Engine, particularly regarding the way passwords were stored. The company has promised to share information about the data breach as soon as it’s available. “We apologize for any inconvenience this event may have caused. We are taking this exposure as an opportunity to review and enhance our security, and remain committed to strong internal security practices and processes,” WP Engine told customers. Founded in 2010, WP Engine currently has 40,000 customers across 133 countries, including SoundCloud, Yelp, AMD, and Britain’s Network Rail. A total of more than $41 million have been invested in the company, $23 million of which earlier this year. Related Reading: Amazon Forces Password Resets after Possible Security Breach Related Reading: IT Management Firm LANDESK Suffers Data Breach Eduard Kovacs ( ) is a contributing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher for two years before starting a career in journalism as Softpedia’s security news reporter. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering.
Being one of the most popular blogging websites, WordPress tends to get repeatedly targeted by hackers. The latest attack was launched on April 11, and it is believed that hackers are trying to steal user credentials. The company was quick to emphasise that no sensitive data had been taken and that the move was more about preventative action than defence.