Security Breach at Comcast-owned Xfinity
A security breach at Comcast-owned Xfinity has exposed the personal data of nearly all the internet provider's customers, including account usernames, passwords and answers to their security questions.
Comcast said in a filing with Maine's attorney general's office that the hack affected 35.8 million people, with the media and technology giant notifying customers of the attack through its website and by email, the company said Monday. The intrusion stems from a vulnerability in software from cloud computing company Citrix, which Xfinity and many other companies use, according to Comcast.
Although Citrix patched the vulnerability in October, Xfinity learned that unauthorized users gained access to its internal systems sometime between October 16 and October 19, revealing customer data. For some people, that included their names, contact information, account usernames and passwords, birthdates, parts of their Social Security numbers and answers to their security questions.
What should I do if I'm an Xfinity customer?
All Xfinity customers — even those whose accounts might not have been breached — must reset their usernames and passwords, according to Comcast. Xfinity is also encouraging subscribers to use two-factor authentication to secure their accounts.
"In light of recent security breaches, Xfinity is urging its customers to avoid using the same passwords for multiple accounts. However, the company is strongly advising customers to change their passwords for any other accounts that share the same username and password or security question," stated Comcast.
According to its most recent earnings report, Comcast currently has over 32 million broadband customers. This suggests that the breach likely impacted all Xfinity customers.
If customers have any inquiries, they can reach out to Xfinity toll-free at (888) 799-2560. The customer service line is available 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday, between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time. Further information can be found on Xfinity's website at www.xfinity.com/dataincident.
