Social-networking site Myspace experienced a breach of its systems before the Memorial Day weekend that led to stolen user login data being made available online, Time Inc., the site’s parent, said Tuesday.
As many as 360 million Myspace accounts turned up for sale Friday in a 33-gigabyte dump online, according to reports that were confirmed Monday by Time Inc.
The leak includes passwords, e-mail addresses and usernames from prior to June 11, 2013, before Myspace made a site redesign that closed some security gaps.
Myspace, which has invalidated the passwords of all known affected users, is in the process of notifying those affected and is working with law enforcement. Jeff Bairstow, Time’s chief financial officer, said the company’s information security and privacy teams “are doing everything we can to support the Myspace team.”
Time acquired Myspace as part of its recent takeover of data-driven marketing firm Viant Technology Inc., which was completed in March. Time is attempting to bolster sales from its largest marketing clients, and the Viant acquisition was a part of that push, as the firm operates several digital ad technology and media companies, such as Vindico and Myspace.
Time, the nation’s largest magazine publisher, said the breach at Myspace breach doesn’t affect any of Time’s systems, subscriber information or other media properties and doesn’t appear to include financial data of any kind.
Myspace is the latest site to experience a hack that lead to user information being compromised. Just this month, LinkedIn said more than 100 million users passwords might have been compromised for years, a disclosure that came after a hacker claimed to have a database of 117 million usernames and passwords that stemmed from a 2012 breach. In 2015, hackers obtained and released customer data from Avid Life Media Inc.’s AshleyMadison.com, the website that facilitates affairs.
Earlier in May, Time reported better-than-expected earnings and revenue results, primarily due to the Viant acquisition.
The Washington Post contributed to this report.
