Digital Playground Porn Site Hacked By the Consortium: It's Easier Than You Think
If you are a fan of porn or Digital Playground, Inc., you may have noticed a slight problem recently with the web site and your account. On March 9, hackers known as The Consortium announced that they had successfully broken into the servers at Digital Playground and stolen over 72,000 usernames and passwords as well as 40,000 credit cards.
One might think this was an amazing act of genius by the hackers, except in their own words, it seemed like it was fairly simple. According to MSNBC.com, The Consortium claimed that not only were the usernames and passwords unprotected and not encrypted even of the stars, but the credit card numbers and credit security codes were also in plaint text and not secure as they should be.
Many users were told to simply change their passwords and notify their credit card companies of the breach, however based on the nature of the content at Digital Playground, it would seem more likely that users are unlikely to report the incident to anyone. The Consortium did mention that the intention is not to steal from anyone but to make a point, and for this reason would not be releasing any of the credit card information. So in this respect, customers and credit card holders are safe.
However, this incident does bring to light just how easily a site with 72,000 usernames can easily be hacked. Whether you are a customer of a porn site such as Digital Playground or not, you will want to make sure that the web sites which hold your personal information and credit card numbers are protecting that information. The Consortium is not the only group of hackers out there, furthermore, there are hackers whose jobs are to steal credit card information. It is important that you pay attention to the merchants and web sites you are dealing with online.
How to Keep Your Credit Card Information Online
Sometimes it isn’t really about how safe you are when using your credit card, but how safe the sites are that you are sharing your card information with. Just last year Sony was hacked and 25 million users’ information was involved. Keep in mind that this incident may have occurred by hackers who weren’t just trying to prove a point but may have actually planned on using the information for nefarious purposes.
When using your credit card with any web site, the basic security checks include the following:
Look for the padlock icon on the status bar of your browser. This symbol lets you know if the site is secure. Also, https as opposed to http in the browser, indicates that you you are on a secure server that uses SSL and your information is enc rypted. This at least makes it difficult for someone to get your credit card information while you are entering it onto the site.
Use a credit card instead of a debit card online. As we’ve stated in earlier articles, you have more protection if someone hacks into a site, steals your card information and then goes on a shopping spree, if you are using a credit card than if you use a debit card. Not to mention that debit cards are also usually linked to bank accounts, which can result in more damage if the information is stolen.
Make sure your computer is secure. Lock down your wireless network and make sure you have updated anti virus and spyware software. This may not help so much in preventing web sites from getting hacked but moreso prevents hackers from getting your information by installing hidden programs onto your computer.
Also, as the hackers in the porn site case noted, pay close attention to the usernames and passwords you choose when signing up for memberships on web sites. Both should include a combination of at least alpha and numeric characters and of course refrain from using your own name and other information. You should refrain from using the same username and password on all sites, simply because if one web site, such as Digital Playground is hacked, the hackers have all of the information they will need to get into any other accounts you may have online.
What to Do If a Site You Use Has Been Hacked
Otherwise, there isn’t much you can to do to keep from being a victim in situations where hackers break into web sites and steal all of the information that is available. In the porn site hacking, The Consortium mentioned the Digital Playground site as having numerous holes in their almost nonexistent security measures. If you have become a victim of computer hacking or a site you use your credit card on has been hacked, you will want to make sure you take the following steps:
Change your password if you plan on continuing membership with the web site.
Make sure you change any information you have on other sites that share the same username and password. Also change the password on the credit card account that was used.
Contact your credit card company and let them know of the hacking. They may want to cancel the credit card and issue a new one depending on the severity. If not, they can at least be on the lookout for fraudulent purchases or suspicious activity.
Find out how the company will help. In certain instances, when a web site is hacked, the company offers assistance with free credit monitoring. Although not entirely helpful in easing worry, Digital Playground did offer members a free month membership on their rival porn sites. Either way, usually the company will try to make amends with its customers when such a breach occurs.
And then of course, you may want to check your credit reports regularly afterwards anyway, just to be sure there aren’t any new unauthorized accounts on your credit. Remember that hackers usually gain access to all information including name, address, birth date and credit card. They have anything they need to open new credit card accounts and can cause even more unsuspected damage.
