ICANN user passwords stolen in breach

Passwords and user names have been stolen for the public website of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the nonprofit group that manages the Internet’s address system. ICANN announced that encrypted passwords, user names and e-mail addresses appeared to be stolen by “unauthorized access to an external service provider.” The group said the investigation is ongoing and the notice to users was not delayed because of a law enforcement investigation. It was quick to point out that no financial or operational information was stolen.

The profile accounts related to the stolen passwords contained only simple information like public bios, interests and newsletter subscription preferences. The group said there is no evidence that private accounts were accessed, but urged users to change their passwords. “Most importantly, if you have used the same password on other websites or services, you should change it immediately on those other websites or services. As a general matter, you should avoid reusing passwords across multiple sites,” the group wrote in e-mails to subscribers and in a note posted on its website.