On Wednesday, streaming video service Plex sent an email to its users encouraging them to sign out of all devices using Plex and to change their account password. On Tuesday, the service discovered that one of its databases had been breached by a third-party and that emails, usernames, and encrypted passwords were accessed. Plex notes that all of the passwords were protected according to the company and industry’s best practices, but “out of an abundance of caution we are requiring all Plex accounts to have their password reset.”
The streamer reassured users that their credit card and payment information is not stored on Plex servers and therefore was not accessed by the third-party. However, the streamer is requiring that all users reset their Plex account passwords as soon as possible. When doing so, the service will give users the option to “Sign out [of] connected devices after password change.” This will disconnect any devices that have logged into the service using the previous password. While this will require users to enter their information again wherever they use Plex again, it will also prevent any third-parties from accessing the account with a stolen password. The service is also recommending that users enable two-factor authentication on their Plex accounts to ensure that only authorized users are able to log-in.
The streamer said in the letter to users that it “already addressed the method that this third-party employed to gain access to the system,” and is continuing to review its security systems in order to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. Plex also reminded users that no one from the company will ever attempt to connect with them via email to ask for password and credit card information.
“We take pride in our security system and want to assure you that we are doing everything we can to swiftly remedy this incident and prevent future incidents from occurring,” the letter to Plex users said. “We are all too aware that third-parties will continue to attempt to infiltrate IT infrastructures around the world, and rest assured we at Plex will never be complacent in hardening our security and defenses.”
Plex
Plex is a free streaming service that includes on-demand access to 50,000+ movies and TV shows. The service also offers 1,100+ free-to-stream live TV channels in 193 countries. Users can also connect Plex to their computers to stream and share any media they have on their hard drives.