This is a critical post for those who use NewsgroupDirect. Especially if you signed up for for their Usenet service between May 1st and July 8th. If you fall into that category please visit the NewsgroupDirect blog for more details. I’ll share their post in a moment but you’ll want to check your credit card for fraudulent charges. If you find any charges contact your credit card company to have them revoke your card and issue a new one.
Here’s a direct copy of the blog post NewsgroupDirect released on their site:
There has been a recent data breach at NewsgroupDirect. This is an ongoing investigation and things may change, but as of now we believe that someone unauthorized was able to gain access to our systems between May 1, 2014 and July 8, 2014 (tentative dates). We believe that only new accounts created during this time period are affected. If you paid with Worldpay then you are unaffected.
I am extremely sorry that this happened. Our mission at NewsgroupDirect is to provide the best customer service in the usenet industry, and we’ve let you down.
What You Need To Do
1. Check your credit card statement and look for any unauthorized charges. If you see anything out of the ordinary then please email us with your NewsgroupDirect username and the date that you registered for our service. This is an important part of the investigation. Remember, you are not liable for fraudulent charges on your credit card.
2. Contact your credit card company and have them revoke your existing card and issue a new one.
3. Login and change your password. We don’t have any reason to believe that passwords were compromised in any way, but it’s best to be safe.What We Are Doing in Response
1. Most importantly, we want to make sure that our customers’ needs are met. If you need help with anything as a result of this data breach then please let me know.
2. Increased Security Measures. We believe that we have identified and fixed the vulnerability that allowed someone to gain access to our system. That’s the first step. Beyond that we will be working to strengthen all of the security measures that we have in place and implement new ones.
3. We will continue with our forensic investigation into this issue and will post a more detailed incident report here when the investigation is completed.I deeply regret this incident and look forward to earning your trust again.
Jim Lastinger
CEO / NewsgroupDirectp.s. My personal email is jim@newsgroupdirect.com. Feel free to reach out to me there with any concerns or questions.
