Two companies providing Usenet services have revealed security breaches today. The two companies, UseNeXT and Usenet.nl, report that the breaches are due to "a security vulnerability of a partner company."
Neither UseNeXT nor Usenet.nl said which company it was, whose software enabled it invasion, and so it is not clear if they refer to a client that allows connection to Usenet or to a server.
Both service providers connections on the network have shut down 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 such as names, billing addresses, payment details (IBAN and account numbers) and other information provided by users during the process of creating an account on the two sites.
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 forerunner of today 's world wide web. More specifically, it is a network of nodes through which users can share news or files and chat, something like a modern bulletin board system.
The network is accessed through special applications and entry nodes (providers). The companies UseNeXT and Usenet.nl provide such a paid connection service for accessing the network at very high speeds, since free access to Usenet is slow, rare and not safes.
Following today's breach announcement, both UseNeXT and Usenet.nl are asking customers to change their codeto access their accounts once their sites are back online and to review all of their 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.
