PlentyOfFish Hacked!

the alleged hacker

According to a statement on their blog, the dating site PlentyOfFish.com was hacked earlier this month. Says Markus Frind, founder of PoF,

“On January 18th, after days of countless and unsuccessful attempts, a hacker gained access to Plentyoffish.com database. We are aware from our logs that 345 accounts were successfully exported. Hackers attempted to negotiate with Plentyoffish to “hire” them as a security team. If Plentyoffish failed to cooperate, hackers threatened to release hacked accounts to the press.”

The breach was sealed in minutes and the Plentyoffish team had spent several days testing its systems to ensure no other vulnerabilities were found. Several security measures, including forced password reset, had been imposed. Plentyoffish is bringing on several security companies to perform an external security audit, and will take all measures necessary to make sure our users are safe.“

YIKES! This, I suppose, is and always will be a hazard in our internet-based lifestyles. When a database becomes as large as PoF’s, there is no doubt that someone (although a vicious, evil someone who probably still lives in their mother’s basement) would try to abuse the amassed information for their own selfish desires. As hackers become more and more skilled at beating security systems, so must we constantly find new ways to stop them.

So our question is, how do YOU keep your information safe online? What can we as users do to try and combat the ever-present possibility of identity theft? Do you have an idea about how we can make the internet safer for daters? Let us know in the comments!