It'south dismaying enough when hackers manage to steal data on adults, like the recent Capcom ransomware cyberattack that resulted in employee data and details about future projects being leaked. But when the hack involves a popular children's game, Animal Jam, the news can be even more alarming.

Hackers can pose a serious threat to the security of a visitor and the account information of users who provided personal details to that company in skilful religion. Recently, Animal Jam, a National Geographic game whose target demographic is 9 to 11-twelvemonth-quondam children, was hacked and 46 million records were stolen. This cyber alienation occurred sometime between October 10-12, spurring game developer WildWorks to release a statement notifying parents of the set on on November xi.

In the statement, WildWorks reassured parents that no real children'due south names were stolen during the hack and just 0.02% of the compromised records independent billing names or billing addresses. This means that the power for the hackers to potentially place the parents of players is profoundly express. All of the usernames in Animal Jam, on both mobile and PC,are moderated by real people upon creation to ensure that none of them incorporate a existent name or personally identifying data.

Animal Jam in-game screenshot

The database of 46 million records stolen in the cyber breach of Animal Jam, dating back to the game'south launch in 2010, is existence circulated by the hackers. The WildWorks argument broke down precisely what data was accessed from the hacked accounts:

  • the email addresses used to create approximately 7 million parent accounts
  • 32 meg thespian usernames associated with these parent accounts
  • passwords associated with these accounts in encrypted grade
  • fourteen.eight one thousand thousand records that include the histrion's nascency year
  • 23.ix million records that include the histrion'south gender
  • 5.7 1000000 records that include the player's full altogether
  • 12,653 parent accounts, including the parent's full name and billing accost but no other billing information
  • 16,131 parent accounts, including the parent'south first and final proper name but no billing address

Initially, at the fourth dimension of the burglary old betwixt October 10-12, WildWorks believed that only its vendor's server had been compromised and did not realize that its own database of account data had been accessed. Appropriately, the company worked to proactively increase protections confronting another security breach. A calendar month after, on November eleven, independent security researchers monitoring a hacker forum noticed the Animal Jam database posted at that place and alerted WildWorks of the theft. WildWorks immediately issued the notification to parents.

The company has taken the additional step of working closely with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to hopefully identify the people responsible for the hack. In the meantime, all Fauna Jam accounts are being required to change their passwords. The WildWorks statement provides additional steps that concerned parents can accept to ensure their safety or to bank check if their information was included in the leak.

Animal Jam is available on mobile and PC.

MORE: Among U.s.a. Update Addresses Hacking Situation

Source: Animal Jam Press Release (via Cyber Security Hub)

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