📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

One of the Most Popular Password Security Companies Was Hacked You should probably change your LastPass password, ASAP.

By Cale Guthrie Weissman

entrepreneur daily
Shutterstock

LastPass, a popular password manager program, just admitted it's been hacked.

In a blog post published today, LastPass's Joe Siegrist writes, "The investigation has shown ... that LastPass account email addresses, password reminders, server per user salts, and authentication hashes were compromised."

LastPass works by having users choose one strong master password that they must remember. When they log into LastPass, they use this strong authenticator to gain access to a list of all of their other passwords, which are stored in encrypted form on LastPass' servers.

LastPass' servers do hold a list of all of its users passwords, but because they are encrypted (meaning they are heavily ciphered making it nearly impossible to crack), it's highly unlikely any hackers would be able to decrypt LastPass' password trove.

Further, the encryption and decryption happens on the users' devices, meaning that LastPass has no way to access any of its users' non-ciphered passwords.

It's important to note that this breach does not mean that hackers have full access to the passwords of every LastPass user. What it does mean, however, is that if users use a weak master password or have used the same password for another website, there's a likelihood that hackers could gain access.

To fix this, all LastPass users should change their master password if it is weak. Also, users should implement multi factor authentication, making it even harder for hackers to gain access.

Users, however, need not have need to change the passwords stored in LastPass.

Business Insider reached out to LastPass and will update the post when we learn more.

Cale Guthrie Weissman covers cybersecurity/tech-politics for Business Insider.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

These Coworkers-Turned-Friends Started a Side Hustle on Amazon — Now It's a 'Full Hustle' Earning Over $20 Million a Year: 'Jump in With Both Feet'

Achal Patel and Russell Gong met at a large consulting firm and "bonded over a shared vision to create a mission-led company."

Side Hustle

How to Turn Your Hobby Into a Successful Business

A hobby, interest or charity project can turn into a money-making business if you know the right steps to take.

Productivity

Want to Be More Productive? Here's How Google Executives Structure Their Schedules

These five tactics from inside Google will help you focus and protect your time.

Business News

These Are the 10 Most Profitable Cities for Airbnb Hosts, According to a New Report

Here's where Airbnb property owners and hosts are making the most money.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.