Spotify has reset the passwords of many users. Did you get the email too? Here’s why you need to change credentials to defend against hackers
Spotify, the music streaming giant is resetting the passwords of many accounts. Users are wondering why, also because the company hasn’t specified it either within its official channels or within the notification text that arrived by email to subscribers. The only reference is a few general and vague words.
The platform has in fact started the procedure to update credentials due to “suspicious activities detected” but has not provided further details. Spokesperson Peter Collins was interviewed for the occasion, and he spoke of precaution against possible illegal and fraudulent activities against millions of Spotify users. In addition, he advised people to change the security keys for every online service they use. This is just one of many ploys to prevent possible cyber threats and account breaches.
Spotify defends itself against hackers with password change
The streaming platform is certainly no stranger to cyber attacks. For example, a year ago an online scam circulated that, through a fake email from Spotify, asked users to reset their passwords. In reality, the message was not sent by the company but by a group of criminals who took over the victims’ login credentials. It would seem that the problems are not over, but this time the giant decided to prevent any damage. That’s why it notified a large chunk of users to reset their passwords, asking them to reset a new one.
Experts claim that Spotify is working to prevent hackers from using a series of lists of user names and passwords that are circulating on several websites. In fact, it would appear that criminals have vast databases where credentials are stored that they can use to hack into the streaming platform’s accounts. By resetting the passwords, these lists would lose their usefulness and prevent criminals from hacking Spotify profiles. In this regard, the company’s spokesperson gave a number of recommendations to users to avoid data theft and other serious breaches. For example, he recommends to use a unique password for each online service you subscribe to and change it periodically.
Password lists: this is how hackers breach accounts
The circulation of sensitive data, used by hackers to steal data or breach accounts, is certainly not new on the Internet. These lists not only circulate on the deep web or hidden forums, but even can be retrieved within Facebook groups. The latest of the scandals dates back to February 2019 and involves the theft of 773 million stolen email addresses and passwords. These long lists were published and exploited by criminals to hack accounts from different platforms at the same time, partly because the credentials used were the same for different services. To prevent this, companies like Spotify or Netflix frequently initiate procedures to reset credentials and invite users to reset them as a preventative measure. This is especially the case if the passwords are very easy to guess and therefore appear weak.