Kickstarter Hacked, But You're Probably Safe

This winter has been a big one for computer security. Kickstarter is the latest victim of unknown hackers, who compromised the site's data on Wednesday. The hack was not revealed until Saturday, when Kickstarter's CEO, Yancey Strickler, wrote a blog post about site security and efforts to catch those responsible for the breach. But there's some good news: users' credit card information and passwords are probably safe.

Still, the attackers did come away with a good deal of information: usernames, email and home addresses, and phone numbers were all compromised. The hackers were also able to get their hands on encrypted passwords, although Strickler says that "it is possible for a malicious person with enough computing power" to figure out even an encrypted password. Still, the biggest concern in these kinds of attacks, like recent hacks of Target's and Neiman Marcus's systems, is usually credit card data. How did Kickstarter manage not to compromise any of it? Simple: the company, Strickler wrote, doesn't keep card data. For overseas accounts, just the last four digits and expiration dates of credit cards are stored.

Only two accounts registered any "unauthorized activity," and the company is working with those users to secure their accounts. The breach was secured Wednesday soon after it happened, but Kickstarter did not reveal its existence until Saturday because of an internal investigation. The company did not reveal how many accounts in total were affected by the hack but encourages users to change their passwords. The site also reset Facebook access credentials for all users.

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