Online Services Provider Web.com Announces Breach Affecting 93,000

Online services provider Web.com has alerted customers to a breach of their systems. It estimates that 93,000 customers may have been affected. The information retrieved by the hackers included payment card information, the associated addresses, and names on the cards. 

The company also owns two other solutions providers, Network Solutions and Register.com. However, it is not believe that customers of those companies were affected in this case, unless they also purchased services directly from Web.com.

Customers affected were sent an email notification on August 18. That will be followed up with a letter sent via USPS mail. If more than one email or letter was received, the company said that more than one payment card was affected and both should be addressed.

Because email notification has been announced, be on guard for phishing scams claiming to be from Web.com. If you do get an email notification, it is a safe play to not click on any links or open any attachments. It is far safer to open a browser and go directly to their website. Online banking malware is 300% more prevalant than any other type of malware, so clicking on the wrong link could lead to your account being taken over or money being siphoned.

If you received notification from Web.com, monitor payment card charges diligently. Report anything suspicious to the issuing financial institution. The verification codes typically found on payment cards were not leaked, but that does not prevent the cards from being used in all cases.

Social security numbers were not retrieved as part of this, but it is good practice to also monitor credit reports for incorrect or potentially fraudulent information. Everyone in the United States that has credit is entitled to one free credit report each year from each of the three major reporting agencies: Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax.

Web.com has notified financial institutions regarding which cards were impacted, so if yours was, your card issuer may already be addressing it. However, still continue to monitor any charges.

One year of free credit monitoring service is also available to those affected by this. The company website has information about how to activate it. Instructions should also be found in the email and letters. While it’s always encouraged for anyone offered this service at no charge take advantage of it, remember that it does not necessarily prevent someone from opening credit in your name. It will however, alert you when someone tries. It also does not prevent unauthorized charges to payment cards. Read the small print when you sign up to understand what services are provided as part of the offer.

The breach was detected on August 13 as part of the company’s ongoing security monitoring efforts. Access was immediately shut down and Federal and state authorities were notified. An investigation is ongoing. The company stated that customers who do not receive either the email or the letter by August 30 can assume their information was not retrieved.