NortonLifeLock, a software development business specialising in information security and information protection, has notified clients of a data breach, alerting them that hackers have successfully infiltrated Norton Password Manager accounts in credential-stuffing assaults.
According to the notice, an attacker attempted to enter Norton customer accounts around December 1, 2022, using username and password pairs purchased from the dark web. On December 12, 2022, the company discovered “an extraordinarily large amount” of unsuccessful login attempts, indicating credential stuffing assaults in which threat actors test out credentials in mass. The company had finished its internal investigation by December 22, 2022, which determined that the credential stuffing assaults had successfully compromised an unspecified number of consumer accounts.
The alert advises users who use the Norton Password Manager service that the attackers may have accessed information kept in private vaults. Depending on what users put in their accounts, this might compromise other online accounts, the loss of digital assets, the exposure of secrets, and other consequences. The company also emphasises that the danger is especially high for individuals who use similar Norton account passwords and Password Manager master keys, making it easier for attackers to pivot.
NortonLifeLock has reset Norton passwords on impacted accounts to prevent attackers from getting access to them in the future and has also deployed additional security measures to resist fraudulent efforts. Customers are advised to set two-factor authentication to secure their accounts and to take advantage of the offer for a credit monitoring service. The company has not disclosed how many people were affected by this incident.
The company’s systems were not breached during the attack. Still, the attackers could obtain customers’ data and passwords using username and password combinations purchased on the dark web. This emphasises the significance of having unique and strong passwords for all online accounts and activating two-factor authentication for enhanced protection.
LastPass, another encrypted password manager, said last month that hackers were able to copy a backup of user vault data in a recent data breach.
