CHARLESTON — Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is urging all eBay users to change their passwords in light of a recent eBay announcement that some users’ personal information may have been compromised.
Recently, eBay recommend that the company’s customers change their passwords due to a cyberattack that compromised eBay’s database. The cyberattack is believed to have occurred between February and March and focused on a database that contained customers’ names, encrypted passwords, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, and date of birth.
“eBay users should follow the new protocol and change their passwords to their accounts as soon as possible” Morrisey said in a press release. “Changing your password will ensure your identity is protected. West Virginians who have an eBay account should immediately update their accounts.”
According to the eBay announcement, the compromised database did not contain users’ financial information or other confidential personal information. The company also said it has not seen an increase in fraudulent activity on the site, nor does it have evidence of any unauthorized access or compromise to personal and financial information for PayPal users.
eBay users should go to the eBay website to change their passwords. When creating a new password, users are encouraged to follow these tips:
* Avoid using a password that’s similar to your eBay user name or email address.
* Don’t use common or obvious words or a sequence of numbers or letters.
* Don’t use personal information that others can easily obtain (names, birthdays, etc.).
* Avoid using the same password for your other online accounts, such as email, bank, or social networking accounts.
* Change your password frequently (at least every 60-90 days). Changing your password helps limit unauthorized access.
“It is always important to protect your personal information from scammers,” Morrisey said. “If consumers do not make strong passwords it unfortunately provides another way for these scammers to target them."
Morrisey urges residents to change eBay passwords
