Two companies that provide Usenet services disclosed security breaches today. The two companies, UseNeXT and Usenet.nl, report that the breaches are due to “a security gap of a partner company.”
Neither UseNeXT nor Usenet.nl said which company is the one whose software allowed the hack, so it is unclear whether they are referring to client which allows connection to Usenet or some server.
Both network service providers have closed their websites to investigate the breach.
According to an almost identical message posted by both companies [1, 2], report that the attacker gained access to information όπως ονόματα, διευθύνσεις χρέωσης, λεπτομέρειες πληρωμής (IBAN και αριθμούς λογαριασμών) αλλά και άλλες πληροφορίες που παρείχαν οι χρήστες κατά τη διάρκεια του διαδικασία δημιουργίας ενός λογαριασμού στους δύο ιστότοπους.
Both companies provide a paid service that allows users to connect to the Usenet network.
This network is one of early forms of the Internet and precursor to today's world wide web. More precisely, it is a network of nodes through which users can share news or files and chat, sort of like a modern system notice boards.
The network is accessed through special applications and input nodes (providers). UseNeXT and Usenet.nl provide such a paid connection service for high-speed network access, as free access to Usenet is slow, infrequent and unsafe.
Following today's announcement of a breach, both UseNeXT and Usenet.nl are asking customers to change their account passwords as soon as their sites return to the Internet and to check all Usenet account settings for unauthorized changes.
Since their cards have been leaked both companies advise their customers to watch out for suspicious charges or strange movements in bank accounts.
Both companies also report that their customers are at risk for phishing attempts.
